Tales of Rioichi
by chloemcg
Summary: When Rioichi is found as a kit, Zuko king tries to be a great father to the boy but what happens if Rioichi begins to dig up some secrets of his heritage? Can Rioichi be the brave man Zuko trained him to be? RioichiXOC
1. Abandonment

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rioichi Cooper but I own the other characters as well as the plot.**

**Tales of Rioichi.**

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The rain pounded heavily against the overgrown nature during a stormy night in Feudal Japan during the year of 1585, one of the worst thunder storms Japan was experiencing.

But our story begins in the ancient bamboo forests where we see a panda whom was dressed in a vest with golden material and matching shorts to fit around his large waist, carrying a big crate full of fish. He also wore flat a straw hat that tilted forwards upon his brow.

The panda named Zuko King walked alone in the ancient forest of bamboo while he carried some of the fish, his fishing rod hung over his shoulder, he had caught back to the village he had called a home but the rain lashed down against his bulky body, doing little to numb his body as he waded through the horrid rain that pelted against the tree's heavily abundant leaves from weather. Zuko _loved _this kind of weather as it always provided him with the perfect night for fishing.

"Hmmm..." Zuko muttered to himself as his eyes wandered around the sacred lush bamboo jungles of Japan "Fishing has been a delight this night." He could not help but admire the sheer beauty of his evening surroundings. The panda fisherman loved his job as a fisher man but he always desired to start a family of his own. He had a brother whom had a little girl but that made him jealous.

Zuko sighs as he placed the crate of fish he was carrying in his strong arms inside the back of a Pulled rickshaw but he began to reflect upon his life so far. It was pretty bland as a normal life goes. He and his brother were brought up by a kind mother and a noble father whom both had crucial parts in the village as the elder and baker. His parents eventually left the comforts of China to start a new life in Japan so they could stay with Zuko and keep an eye on his brother, Millan.

In this night air, there was nobody around who could even be aware that there was someone else in the forest who hid amongst a small crowd of cardboard boxes. Suddenly, a loud rumble of thunder made a child cry out in fear over the loud thunder and it was those cries that brought Zuko's attention as he ran into the bushes towards the original sound of those cries but when he made it, he found nothing.

The jungle clearings were overgrown and not very protected from the rain as the cardboard boxes were soaking wet and were just minutes away from splitting into a damp coldness. The adult panda was confused as his mind was reeling with questions. Was his self isolation taking a big toll on him as to make him hear things? Was Zuko even going mad? If not then what had he just heard? The panda listened out for the noise again after a good long while but he heard nothing and turned around to leave when he heard another rumble of the thunder above and this was followed by...sobbing?

Zuko cautiously approached one of the cardboard boxes to make a discovery that would surely change his life forever. Inside a box was a young red panda whom wore a blue outfit with baggy jeans and white sleeves but his huge rusty brown eyes were huge and very teary with fright as his bottom lip trembled with fear as his body shivered with coldness accompanied by fright of the thunder storm currently transpiring. The panda was overcome with shock at how poorly this child looked. He appeared to be 2 years of age judging by his size and incapability to talk.

He looked emaciated to the point where you could could every rib cage and count them with little effort, his fur was damp from the heavy rainfall and filthy as there were so many patches of dirt that you could barely notice what color his fur really was. The outfit he wore was baggy because of how skinny he was now and tears escaped his eyes as he clutched a huge book to his chest with what little strength he had.

The young red panda sniffed as he stayed silent while examining the creature before him in interest. This panda had this look of gentle kindness in his eyes as the young kit eyed him wearily with his nose scrunched up in distrust of the giant man who stood before him although he was admittedly afraid of the Panda. Zuko looked at the fishing rod that the kit was eyeing with hostility and instantly tossed it to the side so he could stop the glare he was receiving.

The little Red panda's eyes softened a bit as he relaxed his muscles upon knowing that this creature was not here to bring him any form of harsh punishment. Despite his insecurities melting away; the child continued to hold the huge book inside his thin, frail arms.

Zuko did not know what to do at first. It would be just plain heartless to leave the child to die out here but he couldn't leave the coon kit alone with just any stranger either as he had enough going on right now as the rain drummed against Zuko's body and while it barely effected him, the young kit closed his eyes and shivered as he curled around his body like a cat to sleep, his tail taped down to prevent him from leaving.

Zuko shook his head. It was cruel to leave such a young child alone with only a large book as comfort but it was downright evil to make sure a child could not leave his confinement.

He removed the vest he wore above and over his enlarged stomach and carefully wrapped it around the young raccoon as to not arouse him as the sleeping dirty raccoon only stirred a tiny bit before falling back to sleep, clearly exhausted from the fact that he barely had enough energy reserves to keep himself going. Zuko carried both the young child and the big book he cared for that had the interesting title of "Theivieus Raccoonus" in his arms and then shifted his tiny form and the book into one arm while the other paw grabbed the left pole designed to enable him to pull the method of transport behind him as he kept an eye on the child who held his book close.

He could not believe was he was thinking as he took the child home. It was like one of his wishes came true! He kind of hoped that the child's parents wouldn't return to reclaim him because he had kind of grown attached to the small Red panda. It was like fate had granted him one of his desires of having a child to raise his own!

It did not take very long but Zuko had made it back to the village where he found the entrance to his candle shop that was pretty much his humble abode as he swiped at the leaves covering the entry point and walked into the cavern where a desk for his business stood on the far side of the middle cavern and there were candles sat upon some shelves that hung on the walls and there was even a room beyond that one provided the perfect place to raise the child. With the fish he caught, it should be more than enough to feed two.

After making it towards his den, Zuko lit one of the japanese style lanterns hung by the door to dimly light the room in a orange glow but he placed the kit down upon the futon (which would normally where the panda slept) and watched as the kit shifted around in his sleep to get comfortable but eventually returned to his peaceful slumber as he subconsciously put a thumb into his mouth, being very young and all made him do that as he imagined being held by his mother.

The red panda gradually awoke to the smell of raw fish as he sat up with what little strength he could muster while rubbing at his tired eyes as he tried to figure out where he was. Driven by curiosity alone, the kit jumped lightly off the bed. The small child, however, was not very sturdy on his feet as he wobbled clumsily and swayed from side to side while trying to regain his balance as his feet wobbled against the floorboards. This failed.

The impact that the kit made to the floor had alerted his savior to the scene as he rushed into the room with his cleaver in his grasp and just so coincidently, more lightening flashed from the outside window to make the scene more scary as the kit instantly dived up upon the futon in desperation and buried himself under the blankets with huge frightened eyes.

Zuko sighed and threw the cleaver away to get rid of the ridiculous motion of the child believing that his rescuer was an assassin and gently approached the small red panda kit. Slowly, the fright inside the child's huge bulging eyes making it visible that his fear was unsettling.

He sniffed as he squeezed his eyes shut and broke down sobbing as Zuko instantly took the child from the futon before walking over to a recliner, sitting down upon it softly, and cradled him lovingly against his body while assuring the child that he would never be alone while he was around. Slowly but surely, the small red panda cub calmed down as he stared up at the panda bear with curious yet tearful eyes that made Zuko's kind heart sink in pity.

Now that the child was calm, Zuko thought that it was time for answers as he asked the child "What is your name, child?"

The cub leapt off the adult bear's lap and went to retrieve his book that sat upon the futon as he basically dropped underneath its weight.

Zuko could not help but chuckle as he got off the chair, picked the book off the young red panda off him before he placed it on the arm of the recliner of the chair and then went to retrieve the cub whom was having trouble getting up on his own as he scooped him up and tenderly placed him on his lap and watched as the tiny kit opened the book and after speed reading through many pages, he found the page he searched for titled 'Isamu Cooper' and pointed to her last entry at one particular paragraph.

"This is my last entry of the Thevious Raccoonus for awhile. Today I have been blessed with the sweetest child whom I have christened Rioichi. While I fear for what our family enemy would do once he finds out, I also have fear of what my mate will do. He threatened to harm our baby if he ever broke out of jail. I only hope that the day when Tai breaks out of prison will be one Rioichi escapes unharmed." 

Zuko had to admit that Isamu, the child's mother, had very neat hand writing and he saw as the red panda kit pointed to the one word 'Rioichi' as if silently telling him his name. The child was actually very bright for the age of 2. Zuko tickled Rioichi's chin playfully as he asked "Your name is 'Rioichi' correct?"

The young red panda smiled and giggled to confirm this as he tried to move away from his ticklish spot but he got tired quickly as Zuko decided to get Rioichi fed and bathed before he fell asleep. The cub needed to be clean and not be starved before he slept otherwise he would feel bad if he didn't.

It wasn't hard to get Rioichi a place to sit as he got a high stool and put the cushion underneath him so the young child wouldn't get sore from sitting uncomfortably upon a chair for a long 10 minutes and Zuko grabbed a lower foot stool for himself as he sat down upon it and used a pair of chopsticks to plop some meaty cube chunk from the fish into the child's mouth. It was not too small so he could choke on it but it wasn't so big either as to get stuck in his throat.

The dirty yet soaking wet cub chewed it for a moment to savour the flavour and once he swallowed the fish, Rioichi made a noise of enjoyment as he opened his mouth for more which Zuko gladly obliged. The adult panda then realised that this was the first time the kit had anything to enjoy for awhile.

Even though he was clearly starving, he was still so calm and collected! He was really patient with both him and food and that's what really made the fisher man panda proud of the cub but knew that judging by the sleepy look he was getting, Zuko knew it was time for a bath as he once again picked up the red panda kit and carried him towards the bathroom where Rioichi curiously looked at his surroundings with his bushy tail whipping about in hyperactivity but his chin rested upon Zuko's shoulder as he was put down to sit on the floor and watched as Zuko turned the top of the bath to put some hot water in the round shape the inside made.

Very soon the bowl was filled with perfect heated water as he tested it by dipping a finger inside the clear waters. Once Rioichi had his clothing removed that made him look like a fur ball more than anything and as he was lowered into the waters, young Rioichi flinched in fear of the soaking substance that was water as he desperately squirmed and kicked to get away but Zuko had a tight grasp on him although not to tight to cause him any harm.

Zuko removed his straw hat to show that he was getting serious and quickly lowered Rioichi into the water and within that one movement, Rioichi calmed down all together as his fear was replaced with endless curiosity as he noticed that he was surrounded by a nice foam-like substance that further intrigued him and he curiously touched a small finger to one of the many bubbles that originated from the foam but it burst at his touch and this made the kit gasp in shock as his ears lowered in disappointment at the bubble popping.

It was then that Rioichi felt something digging at his head and it felt...rather nice. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he closed his eyes in relaxation and he let out affectionate purrs as he embraced in the gentle yet rough head message he was receiving. After completing the task of removing the tape wrapped around the kit's tail, Zuko began scrubbing most of the dirt embedded in Rioichi's scalp as it was unneeded to harm the young one's skin health and after the child was rinsed from the foam covering every inch of his body he looked like a whole new child. His russet fur was gleaming brightly as the light from the lantern touched it just so as to make Rioichi remind Zuko of a gift-wrapped present complete with bow.

After Zuko had finished drying the fur ball off with a towel, Rioichi's fur stuck out so much that he resembled a furry pom-pom with a grumpy face. Rioichi shook off his body rapidly to get the remaining water off his slick coat and to get his fur to stop making him look like a fuzzy pom pom. Once it was back to normal, Zuko wrapped the red panda kit up in a flannel towel and took him back into the bedroom, put him down on the futon and re-dressed him in his clothing as he had no pajamas yet. Rioichi rubbed at his eyes sleepily as he let out a large yawn and even fell fast asleep within 4 seconds.

The panda fisherman smiled at the red panda cub and retrieved his cleaver so he could return it to the kitchen where it belongs. The adult panda thought of how this special night had changed him. Before this he was someone whom had kept himself isolated from the world without much peace except for fishing. Now, because of this _sweet _little child, his perspective on life had changed dramatically as he finally returned the cleaver inside the drawer that contained his food-related tools. The adult panda yawned as he returned to the bedroom and found Rioichi curled up but he seemed to have budged over, kindly giving him access to climb in with him.

The panda blew out the flame that lit the room in an amber glow before he went to join Rioichi.

Zuko's heart melted at the sight of the kit made innocent squeaks of delight in his sleep, as if the was wanting the panda by his side and he happily obliged as he removed his straw hat while placing it on top of the wardrobe so he could get it in the morning as he climbed on to the futon and allowing the small red panda toddler to snuggle with him and it felt great.

As the panda's mind finally carried him off into a fine sleep, he swore to look after the child with his life.

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**A/N: Thats the end of prologue to the origin story of Rioichi Cooper. Why did his parents abandon him? Why did his mother leave him? What will happen to Rioichi next? **

**And before you ask, Yes: I have named Rioichi's adopted father after Prince Zuko from Avatar the last airbender. **

**Where did I get this idea? Well, I discovered a statue of a panda outside Rioichi's sushi shop. You may or may not have noticed it but I did and decided to take that. I am also working on a Slythunkhamen the first origin story. **

**Tomorrow it is also my Birthday! I am very excited about it. During the weekend, I had my birthday party! Anyways, again, don't expect any reviews but I will try and update asap. **

**Please review and let me know what you think of this, please. I would also like you to guess whom Zuko is related to. It should be quite obvious. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this!**

**-Chloemcg**


	2. Rioichi saves a flower

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rioichi Cooper but I own the other characters as well as the plot.**

**Tales of Rioichi.**

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5 years later...

A young 7 year old Rioichi sat underneath the protective shade of an ancient cherry blossom tree that was in full bloom as its delicate pink petals sprinkled above Rioichi's head in a layer of peace and tranquillity as he played his bamboo-made flute with soft melodies that would soothe even the coldest of hearts.

The young red panda raccoon cub didn't talk much (hardly ever) but nobody treated him any differently or bullied him for being silent...nobody except for Rohan Le Paradox and his posse. He had no idea why but Rohan the skunk had this personal hatred for the latest Cooper descendant for some reason as he constantly started fights by harming those close to him.

Honestly, Rohan was a thorn in his side but he tried to ignore this just like every other problem he had ever had.

Luckily he had Zuko, his adopted father to help him when he needed it. It turned out that Rioichi had a very high metabolism so no matter how much he ate, he would be as thin as a twig but he luckily put on enough weight that his figure no longer resembled a skeleton. Zuko had fed him loads before he was finally satisfied with the boy's weight.

Rioichi heard a branch snap in the distance, making the boy snap open one eye in little surprise as his ear flickered along with the movement that came from a few yards away. The 7 year old cub awaited for the intruder to make themselves known to him as he stared at the bushes a few yards as Rioichi lifted his head and eventually saw a young rabbit running straight towards him while panting hard breaths of tiredness as he bent over to touch his knees.

Curious, the young russet furred male ring tail leapt down from his place within the cherry blossom trees and ran over to the rabbit and placed a hand upon the bunny's shoulder with a concerned look that asked the question for him: 'Whats the matter?'

The rabbit had caught the hint as he replied in heavy gasps "Rohan...Tsao...Village centre!"

Rioichi had no idea what was going on but if it had anything to do with Rohan Le Paradox and Rin Tsao then it just spelled trouble. Nodding in the direction of the village square, Rioichi took off at the speed of light towards the bushes where the rabbit had just entered and reluctantly the young rabbit followed him while trying to catch up.

As the red panda raccoon kit sped off towards the village as he broke from a run into a impossibly fast, nimble sprint across the forest floor as he left a blue streak behind him because he was so light upon his feet.

His rusty brown eyes were glued on the dirt path in front of him as he felt the rushing breeze blow in his russet cheek fur and bounce off his pricked ear canals as he enjoyed the feeling of the natures warm touch. Rioichi preferred not to speak as he was a bit shy towards those he never met but he also refused to talk to Rohan as he could sense a dark heart within him.

It was the seemingly slowest run he had ever made but Rioichi had made it towards an old building that had been abandoned for years as he perched upon the roof to stare down at the situation unfolding in front of the big tower. From what the cub could see, Rohan the skunk and his rooster friend, Rin, was kicking a defenceless someone who he could not see because Rohan and Rin were so close to them and made it so the red panda raccoon could see much at all and the crowd whom had gathered didn't help in the least as they chanted for the girl to stand up for herself and fight.

"Stop it please!" The voice of a young girl cried out in a desperate plea which Rioichi could not ignore. He didn't understand why but her sweet angelic voice made his eyes brighten up in interest. Rioichi leaned forwards to get a better look at this as he clung on to a rope that led up to the tower so he could gradually lower himself before anything more happens.

"This is the daughter of the legendary shadow warrior?" Rin scoffed with menacing eyes as a devilish grin widened on his beak "She is too pathetic to even stand up for herself! Typical of a dumb girl who cannot have a backbone towards those superior."

'_Shadow..Warrior?' _Rioichi thought as he countinued to observe this scene unfold. The red furred raccoon felt his heart stop as the girl struggled to her feet with a ghastly black eye and she had a large gap in her teeth and this was an indication of the fact that she had been beaten ruthlessly. Rioichi shook his head with angry eyes in disgust. Two teenaged boys against one younger girl: a most dishonourable act.

"I may be weak but that does not mean that I am worthless. My father always tells me that 'Even though the bamboo forest is dense, water flows through it without effort'." The young female told them with angry teal eyes and what the girl looked like to Rioichi made his breath caught within his throat.

She was a raccoon like him but she had light grey fur and she was also as thin as a twig but in a healthy way. She had a dark coffee brown raccoon mask across her gentle eyes that complimented her thick fine fur that sparkled in the gentle sunlight beaming down from the heavens. She wore a red headband across her forehead that folded against her hair so she could hide her fringe. She also wore some baggy red jeans that would surely compliment Rioichi's blue ones and she wore a white shirt that buttoned up in a nice way.

Rioichi could not help but admire this female raccoon girl's undeniable beauty as he knew that even with the ghastly black eye and missing teeth, she looked like an angel fallen from heaven with those diamond-like eyes and that sweet black nose that twitched on occasion. Also he felt his heart swell at her courage and wisdom. He felt really weird as he felt as light as a feather.

He snapped out of it when Rohan cracked a knuckle with an evil chuckle "Well it does not matter what your father says, little girl. What does matter is that we get to beat you to a pulp until that Rioichi shows up."

Something inside young Rioichi snapped then. Nobody should use an innocent girl to lure him further as that was downright wrong! The red furred raccoon growled as he jumped down from his watching post and landed in front of Rohan quick enough to catch his incoming fist that was aiming for the girl as he clutched it so tight that he could hear the snapping of Rohan's boney fingers.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Rohan yowled as he sneered at Rioichi through the pain. The silent 7 year old released the teenaged skunk's hand while he shot him a slitted-eyed glare and both he and Rioichi spared a two way glare that sent a very eerie tension throughout the entire village square as their rivalry became very clear. Not even Rin decided to break it encase of starting up something that didn't involve him.

"This is not over, Rioichi." Rohan growled through gritted teeth while holding his injured hand. The 14 year old skunk ran off away from the crowd while Rin followed him in hot pursuit. Rioichi sent a hostile grunt and nod towards Rohan's direction in dismissal before he turned on his feet to check on the young female raccoon who laid on the ground with eyes full of fright as she feared that a new bully has come to pick on her.

She ducked and closed her eyes as the 7 year old red furred ring tail done a single movement with his hand but she soon realised that he did not strike her as she found the courage to open her eyes and saw that Rioichi was holding his hand out towards her with an apologetic look glistening within those rusty brown pools.

The female raccoon looked down in deep thought. This red panda-raccoon mix did save her from taking more beatings so she decided to go with him as she took his offered hand and he assisted in pulling her up. Rioichi looked into her eyes as he assisted her to stand on her own. She felt a little bit chilly as she sorely leaned against the red panda raccoon male and this made him shift uncomfortably where he stood as his cheeks began to glow an alarming cherry red.

The 7 year old could not stop his heart from hammering against his rib cage with each thump it took to keep the blood pumping to every part of the latest Cooper descendant as he gently escorted her towards the forest of where he originated from so he could tend to her wounds. With each passing step through the thickly grown together Bamboo stick, Rioichi looked down at his feet as it was the only thing he could focus upon.

He felt lost within a cloud of webbed thoughts as he recalled hearing about the night whence he was discovered. Rioichi always knew he wasn't really Zuko's son but somehow he did not want to know anything about his mother nor his father. The red panda raccoon cub vaguely recalled his mother's face as she said goodbye to him.

Her eyes were as brown as a freshly baked loaf of bread and her fur was as silver as a newly achieved medal that would shine in the moonlight. The cub squeezed his eyes shut as he remembered every single detail about his mother as she nuzzled him and tapped his tail down so he would not wonder off and get himself in danger. He recalled his own calls of fright for his mother as she ran away in the rain and left him behind, his look hurt and betrayed.

The 7 year old harboured these memories deep inside as he wanted to keep these memories locked up and throw away the key as his adopted father always had wondered about his past. Rioichi also thought about the father he had never met. Apparently his real father was a psychopath who would harm anyone who stood in his way that stood in his way.

The young cub snapped out of his trance at a concerned voice "Is something the matter?"

Rioichi's ears perked up at the sound if the girl's voice as he turned his head to see her giving him a look of concern as if she could sense the pain he battled day to day. The female raccoon watched with interest as her saviour nodded in response as he continued walking.

Clearing her throat, the female raccoon smiled as best as she can "My name's Harumi. What's your name?"

While Rioichi had to admit that 'Harumi' was a very pretty name, he felt somewhat ashamed to tell her his name. He turned away from her stunning gaze as if to avoid the conversation and Harumi frowned when the boy did not return the introduction. She wanted to know his name! "You do know its rude not to say your name after someone else introduces themselves, right?"

Rioichi sighed as he just carried on walking with his head lowered in deep thought. He could talk very well, actually. He just didn't have a lot to say. But he didn't want to be rude to the girl so he reluctantly gave a small look that urged Harumi to comment "You don't have a lot to say do you?"

Rioichi nodded his head in confirmation but Harumi just smiled in a friendly manner as she patted his shoulder comfortingly "It's okay. I can do all the talking for us if you want."

Rioichi sighed heavily. This girl was trying so hard to make friends and the male raccoon didn't want this friendship to feel one sided so he decided to momentarily break down his guard and spoke "...Rioichi."

Harumi was very shocked to hear the red raccoon kit talk. Did he just introduce himself to her!? She opened her mouth to ask him to repeat what he said but he beat him to it as he finally looked her in the eye "My name is Rioichi."

Harumi had to admit that 'Rioichi' was a unique name choice. She also had to admit that Rioichi was unintentionally charming! He had such a wise voice that was mixed with cuteness as his 7 year old high pitch ness made him all the more cuter. It was official! The boy was cute!

Smiling, the female 7 year old coon gave her new friend a kind gaze as she and Rioichi shared a small gaze before quickly looking away as if to hide their affections towards each other. The silence was uncomfortable and rather awkward but Harumi was glad to hear that the male red panda raccoon was able to speak.

It did not take long but Harumi had been taken into a fine clearing that had all the piece and quiet required to make this kind of nice as Rioichi gently offered his hand out towards her to look at her arm. She hesitated but gave her friend her arm and flinched in pain as she extended it. Rioichi examined it with a caring look as he traced a finger along her slim arm and he managed to press a finger against her wrist as he felt something crunch underneath his finger and she yelped as this happened.

Rioichi looked up at the pained expression in Harumi's face as she was clearly trying not to cry as her eyes welled up with tears and she bit down hard on her bottom lip as Rioichi asked softly "Does that hurt, Harumi?"

The female nodded while letting out some whimpers as she was clearly trying not to cry or scream in agony of her injuries. Rioichi felt saddened because of her suffering. If he had have reacted sooner than she would probably not be in this much pain as he checked her over with tender yet loving care. Harumi blinked back the tears as she stared into Rioichi's eyes. They looked so...mesmerising but despite their beauty, she could sense that there was great pain that Rioichi held up inside and could not let go of.

She snapped out of her trance as Rioichi tore off some of the white fabric of his sleeve and began to moisten it in a nearby secret pool as he gently dunked the cloth in and out of the calming waters and he asked "I could not help but overhear something about you being the Shadow warrior's daughter. What does that mean?"

Harumi rolled her eyes at the mention of her nickname that she was mostly referred to instead of her first name. She used her good arm as she brushed some of her ebony locks off her shoulder as she explained with this loneliness inside her eyes "Oh. My father is a Kage, a shadow warrior. He has this ability to blend into any background as if he had the power of invisibility but he has this vow of protecting the weak and wounded and wants me to follow in his footsteps but..."

"But...?" Rioichi urged with a raised brow and he cocked his head to one side confused. Yet while he was interested in the conversation, Rioichi still kept half his focus on healing the bruises and breaks upon her arm. Living with Zuko had meant he was taught a little about healing and medicine and he wouldn't have had anyone else as his father. He wondered if Harumi was as lucky to have such a caring parent.

Harumi lowered her head sadly "My father rarely cares about me. He trains me so hard that my bones ache and even when I am sore, he forces me to do push ups. I'm never allowed to play with anyone and I am constantly moving from place to place so my life is just..." The female raccoon girl's ears drooped sadly as she kept her eyes glued to her legs.

Harumi didn't have to finish her sentence for Rioichi to know that she had a tough life. Her dad didn't seem like a caring person as he seemed to care about nothing else but hardening his daughter's kind heart.

Frowning a little, Rioichi finished wrapping up the girl's arm and putting some herbs on her bruises to help them heal quicker before he sat himself beside her and removed a small necklace that bore the symbol of yin and yang from his neck and placed it around Harumi's neck while being utterly gentle with her as if she was made from the most fragile of glass. He used his thumb to wipe away her tears as he gave her a small smile that told her 'Everything will be alright' and this look comforted her a bit.

They talked for awhile until sunset and Rioichi was kind of sad that Harumi had to go and she waved a goodbye to him before leaving. Rioichi sighed sadly as loneliness took hold of him as he sat there in the meadows with his lonesome rusty brown eyes staring directly at his shadow that was cast by the setting sun as he felt a strong hand rest itself on his slim arm.

He peaked over his shoulder to see that his adopted father looking down at him with the smallest of smiles. Rioichi tried to smile up at him as Zuko told the young kit while he slung his fishing pole over his shoulder as he wore his straw hat as usual. Zuko always loved to fish with Rioichi and the cub always met him there to do their daily fishing session.

Actually, as they sat upon a small fishing boat that rocked back and forth because of the waves that steadied the boat for the red panda raccoon kit and the panda adult, the two shared a silence that Zuko decided to break due to how concerned he was about the child he cared for.

"Is everything alright?" Zuko asked worriedly. Young Rioichi nodded but avoided the gaze of his adopted father as he kept an eye on his rod to see if he could catch a fish.

"Yes, Okasan. It is just that I made a friend and she is leaving soon." Rioichi told the panda with a depressed sigh. Just mentioning Harumi broke his heart but he decided to tough it out like he done with every other situation even if it was harder than usual.

"It is the Shadow warrior's daughter, is it not?" Zuko asked, knowing exactly who Rioichi befriended. The red furred raccoon was startled. How on earth did Zuko know who he befriended!? He listened keenly as Zuko chuckled "I heard everything from Rohan's family."

It was then that Zuko grew serious as he began to lecture lightly "Why did you do that, Rioichi? You broke that boy's fingers like they were the thinest of chopsticks."

Rioichi turned away from Zuko. Honestly he was kind of glad he done it but he also felt bad about it. He never meant to let his temper get the best of him! Sighing again, Rioichi explained what the skunk had been doing to his friend by treating her like dirt. But Zuko just reasoned that violence isn't the only solution.

"Please, son..." Zuko pleaded as he placed a calming hand upon Rioichi's head as he stroked his head tenderly "Do not resort to violence anymore. Only do so when it is needed."

Rioichi hung his head and looked down at his reflection in deep thought. He was very unsure about this but he did not want to make his adopted father unhappy so he eventually gave a small nod of agreement.

Besides, he did say so when he needed to be violent but he decided to be calm about this and everything else to prevent his own temper from boiling over. Deciding to hide behind a cool and collected mask, Rioichi bowed honourably before Zuko who returned this bow.

"Arigato...Otosan." Rioichi smiled as he put his fishing pole down and used his tail to coil around it so he could use both his hands for this. Zuko just put his fishing pole down and smiled proudly at Rioichi.

Little did anyone know was that very soon everything was about to change as a pair of angry red orbs stared directly at the pair of mammals, particularly on the cub, as a mysterious foe hid amongst some bamboo branches before vanishing without a trance.

* * *

**A/N: Thats the end of this chapter! What will happen to Rioichi next? What age will he be? Well, you'll find out later on! Also we meet the love interest of Rioichi which is obvious due to the fact that she has Henriette and is Rioichi's wife in previous Oneshots. **

**I know Rioichi is supposed to be a raccoon but he just looks kind of more like a Red panda to me because of the fact that he looks so different than his descendants and ancestors. I can't wait to write more! **

**I'll also do a Salim al Kupar origin later on! **

**Please review and tell me what you think. Also there will be two antagonists in this. I will give you one guess who the first is and I'll spoil that we will probably see signs of him and the other in the next chapter. **

**-Chloemcg**


	3. Escape!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rioichi Cooper but I own the other characters as well as the plot.**

**Tales of Rioichi.**

* * *

Many miles away from the village; Hakkōda Mountains was right in the middle of a stormy season as a blizzard coated the entire mountainous terrain.

This snowy, desolate wasteland was enough to fill anyone with this sense of isolation as the storm picked up a considerable amount as a prison tower had been tucked up within a bleak cave hidden amongst the snow packed spire.

Anyone crazy enough to be out in this hazardous weather would instantly label you to be an utter lunatic but this was driven purely by revenge.

Even though the tower was quite small on a mountain scale, it was still kind of tall and magnificent to any outsiders but to the only ones who ever get released or the guards find it kind of small and cosy even if it was meant to be a high security prison supposed to house dangerous inmates from far away lands.

But little did anyone realise that the peace through the blizzard was about to be smashed like glass as a large figure with a feathery pelt swooped down from his high altitude in the skies whilst a torn cloak was worn over the top half to hide his identity as he gingerly approached the caverns concealing the almighty prison with his razor sharp metal talons clicking against the flint flooring beneath his emotionless limbs.

Though his razor sharp talons knew no cold or even any emotion, the mysterious figure cared very little about this as he flapped his huge wings a bit to get some of the ice off them.

Judging by his pelt, the only thing distinctive about this figure was that both his talons and legs were made from fine metal that clinked against the stone flooring with each step that was taken. Shaking off the snow, the giant bird walked through the cavern entrance and very soon his red eyes laid upon the incoming view of the prison.

Grinning sadistically, the mysterious enemy knew that he now stood a great chance at getting the thing he came for as he came towards the large dragon gates that made up the entrance of the high security prison.

The caves may have been dark, damp and somewhat misty; it was nothing to the apparent bird of prey as the neared the gates of the prison where all freedom may as well be thrown out into the wind, the big bird knew as he shook his plumage that one man's freedom was about to be granted by him.

After a little interrogation from the general of the prison, the bird was granted access to see the prisoner he hadn't seen in so long.

A brushy ear twitched wearily as a furry figure felt the harsh light from above burning against his skinny russet form despite his thin arms being weighed down by heavy metal chains dangling down bottomless abysses on each side of the stone circular platform he stood upon whilst trying to ignore the guards who kept vigil over his apparently weak stature.

Despite having his back turned, Tai Cooper had problems one would notice within a moment of seeing his emaciated form. He had overgrown locks of spare hair dangling from behind his head yet it was enough to keep him looking manly, he was basically skin and bones, he kept his head hung low enough to reveal that he had a Japanese whisker moustache on each side of his muzzle. He wore no shirt but he wore baggy trousers that was identical to Rioichi's attire.

The cuffs Tai wore cut into his wrists as he was forced down to his knees by the sheer weight he was forced to carry. It surprised the older adult red panda raccoon that his shoulders hadn't been pulled apart by now! Opening a pair of bloodshot eyes, Tai cast his glare up towards the guards whom laughed down at him as they stood a good distance away from his weaker form.

Why was he in prison? Tai knew all too well. He had a wife whom came from a long line of master 'honourable' thieves but she hadn't known about his occupation of being the leader of an infamous group of Ninja assassins known as the 'Ninja triad'. Anyways, his wife had found out his foul secret and kicked his sorry tail to prison with the assistance of her cane but he had only realised that she had bore his child at the time and, filled with a certain hatred for his wife, Tai swore revenge and very almost completed it when he broke out of prison and killed her but it turned out that their son had not only been born but also given up.

Tai was soon caught again but he had been relocated to the highest security prison in this dynasty and he had been locked up ever since. The russet furred raccoon may have taught himself to bear through torture like it was nothing but he had soon, after years of being here, found that his world had been immobilised and time was slow moving and the minutes blurred into mere hours. His world was black indeed but he had nothing to do but dwell on everything and endure the witty remarks from the guards looming overhead like vultures.

He kept his head low and his eyes closed as he heard the sound of the generals rough voice inform him "Tai, you have a visitor."

The male adult raccoon didn't dare move but he gave a low growl of the throat to signal the general to allow his guest entry. Tai's ears brushed against the air at the unusual clinking footsteps grating against his eardrums and he gritted his teeth into angry fangs as the footsteps annoyed him. It was strange feeling a single emotion for the first time in years but he had no sense of what to make of it.

"Greetings, Tai-San," A leering voice greeted him "Having a bad day?"

Tai lifted his head a little yet he kept his stone gaze to the stone beneath his nimble feet, fixated on anything but that voice that gnawed like termites through a table was enough to make him shiver slightly due to the freezing cold air that began to surround the room. Even though the lighting was kind of pathetic, it was enough to make his form known to his visitor whoever he was.

Unfortunately for him; the voice mocked on "Oh, I understand...Being captured so easily must have broken you and for what?" It seemed that his visitor was pretending to think what he was about to say before he spoke again "...Because you're pathetic wife put you behind bars?"

That smart comment pinned Tai's attention as his eyes snapped from lidded and unfocused to angry and intimidating within the blink of an eye as he managed to find a new found strength within him that enabled him to twist half his body weight around so he could meet this guy face to face. Narrowing his eyes; Tai faced his customer but froze dead in his tracks whenever he met those piercing, red, lifeless orbs.

"It...Its you-" Tai stuttered almost fearfully as his voice betrayed the true extent of his fear even though his face remained kind of stone-hearted.

The strange figure placed a metal talon against the red panda raccoon's lips to silence him. The male russet furred raccoon placed both his paws slowly to his mouth to stifle his low voice that was most likely to begin rambling about how impossible this was if he dared release his mouth.

The silence was enough to make Tai quake where he stood as he teeth chattered. He rarely got scared but he was well aware what this customer was capable off and who he was. "Have you found him, Majin?"

Sombrely, the figure nodded.

The guards looked on from above as if they had a creeping suspicion that something was about to happen...Something disastrously catastrophic.

The cloaked figure grinned wickedly as he informed in a low whisper "It is time for me to set you free, my old friend."

Before anything could be asked or done, Tai was grabbed by the shoulders into the metal talons belonging to the cloaked bird and was instantly elevated up into the air with the stone dragged cuffs coming with them and he gone by so quickly that he could barely make out any of the urgent shouts and yells of the guards.

Because it had been a long time since the older male red panda raccoon had actually moved, he found himself getting dizzy as he felt his head spin around and his arms felt so sore that he felt like they were about to rip off his body.

Even though the prison was dark, the way up was stone made basically and there was some red lanterns hung against the walls to give the place a grim feeling to it. Neither the figure nor Tai could sense what it was but it made one of their spines tremble from the mere disgusting sight of it whirling by.

But Tai looked down to find that not only was his neck in a locked position but there was also some red arrows shooting up towards them and with swift movements, Tai used both his feet and his tail to change the course of the arrows back down to point towards the archers shooting them.

Grinning a little in satisfaction; Tai lifted his eyes towards the bird of prey but found that his saviour was too busy flying right now to care about little else. It was either that or he didn't really care about anything but the mission he was on right now...

The red furred whiskered raccoon tried to unlock his neck but it proved futile as he had been motionless for a long while while down in the prison but he suddenly caught sight of something vital and would prove useful for later on: a stick of dynamite. Tai snagged it from a ledge it as they were propelled upwards by the cloaked figures wings and held the fuse against the side of the caverns to ignite the stick and within moments of sparks flying from the stick being pushed to the side of the buildings granite-made bricks, the fuse was lit and the stick only had moments until it exploded.

Dropping it, Tai watched as the red stick of dynamite plummeted down below to greet the many guards whom had tried to catch up with the swift moving duo and the rhinos and boars watched in horror as the fuse ran out and within a nano second a huge explosion not only engulfed the prison but it also gave the bird and raccoon a boost upwards as they were ricocheted out the grand double doors of the dragon gates which had thankfully been left open.

Tai laid in the freezing cold cobble stone flooring of the caverns with relief washing over him as he remained practically oblivious to the massive puff of fire, smoke and ashes that gust out from the explosion. It had been too long since Tai had felt the coldness of fresh air outside as he bathed in the outdoors!

The older red panda raccoon hybrid enjoyed rubbing his copper cheek fur against the freezing ground beneath him as he laid flat on his stomach with his arms and hands sprawled out in front of his face.

This joy was short lived as Tai felt something sang the back of his neck and yank him to his feet with a single flawless movement of his talon. Forced to look into the eyes of the beast, Tai saw the smile spread upon the bird's beak but was unaware that smoke burst from his raggedy ebony cloak that was torn along the ends.

Once again, ignoring the destruction that was caused, the figure began to march off towards the edge of the cliff when Tai pointed out something as he forced his legs to move even though the movements were lazily performed "My friend, I must point out that we cannot leave yet."

"Why not?" Came the response that had an irritated tint behind the voice it belonged to.

"Being forced into that position for so long has basically made my body movements limited and if I am to go into battle in such a state than we shall not have much of a chance."

The bird looked down in deep thought. He hated to admit it but this was a good point and he would _normally _take this irritating rat out by himself but he knew that if he was anything like his accomplice then this rodent he sought out would be difficult to pin down. Help was what he needed and if waiting was what it would take than so be it.

Turning around in a clockwise spin, the bird's metal talons clicked against the cavern stone floor below and he retreated back towards Tai and grabbed his neck so quick that it startled the red panda raccoon even though he wriggled around through strangled gasps and yelps of surprise.

The bird pressed his beak against Tai's nose menacingly "Alright, we shall wait. But we _must _gather the Ninja triad if we are to succeed in taking this rat down. Do I make myself clear?"

"H-Hai, Majin Clockwerk." Came the shaken response.

Clockwerk grinned maliciously. Finally, after all this time, he was going to achieve his goal and wipe out the Cooper clan permanently but he needed to achieve this goal before Rioichi turned 25 or more or else he would have to wait another century or so to destroy the next Cooper.

Clockwerk lifted the escapee on to his back so he could be saddled for the flight to some other mountains nearby so they could rest and recuperate.

"Come and let us plan to destroy Rioichi once and for all..."

It didn't take long for the giant owl to take off into the sky and battle through the harsh blizzards and with a wicked laugh, Clockwerk vanished once again into thin air as if he had never been there.

* * *

**A/N: Oh no...Clockwerk has broken ****Rioichi's biological dad out of prison! Sorry about this rushed chapter but I tried hard on this. What do you think on this and you must be thinking, 'did you get this from watching Kung fu panda?' I had the inspiration from Kung fu panda and I also had the urge to carry this on after re reading the first chapter.**

**Yes Hakkōda Mountains are real since I looked them up.**

**Oh yeah and I edited that last chapter and I must thank angeldragonqueen for pointing that one flaw out. Sorry about that, btw. Chances are I might not update any of my fanfic's tomorrow for these 2 reasons:**

**One, I'm going to my first concert tomorrow.**

**Second, I have a fanfic I'm kind of stuck on which I'm halfway through. **

**I hope this chapter was good enough and I'll try and make this as originy as possible. Thanks! **

**If you have any suggestions then feel free to put them in reviews. And yes I WILL put in that shark Rioichi mentions constantly. I know he's apart of Rioichi's origin so of course he'll be in here...somewhere.**

**Thanks! **

**-Chloemcg**


	4. The art of a dreamer

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rioichi Cooper but I own the other characters as well as the plot.**

**Tales of Rioichi.**

* * *

It was now the year 1598 in Feudal Japan as the lush meadows were filled with this sense of tranquility and honour. In the bright sky the sun was so bright that you would call it a lens flare that would most likely harm your eyes but it was also a way of showing off how beautiful the day was.

Its streams of sunlight had even danced in the soothingly lapping waters and made the sky blue, tepid, crystal liquid sparkle underneath the warmth it received from the giant orb bringing a sort of nostalgic feeling to the inhabitants of this beautiful land.

There was not a sign of anyone disturbing this peacefulness as a certain adsolent raccoon red panda mix ran swiftly across the shallow water that barely reached passed his ankles, his feet being so light yet so swift that one could even make the ridiculous motion that he was running across it much like the fluent movements a simple pebble would make when skimming across a lake.

The blue and white attire proved quite graceful upon Rioichi Cooper now as he moved swiftly and flawlessly through the calm waters and gave a contented grin at the sensation of soaking feet since he loved the feeling of his fur getting wet ever since the night he had been found.

The 20 year old never even imagined that he would feel so alive as he found that this place and this kind of weather kept his mind content and even stable as a small portion of his childhood was sort of traumatic and caused a few issues even if he liked to ignore those problems he had been faced with.

The sun stroked everything it could with a ray of pure golden sunlight against the greenery of the land and the sky blue liquid of the ankle deep waters that the male raccoon frolicked against with very little weight put on his feet with each step. Each thumping step he made against the water splashed lightly against his leg to make unsettling ripples in the water.

The 20 year old coon had grown up quite a bit despite still being as thin as a twig. He even now wore a hooded outfit with white sleeves and he had a Ninjaken sword strapped to his back and instead of being at the height of a pandas ankle like he was at a more feeble age, now he barely reached passed the shoulder of one. Despite the great prognosis, however, there was still the slightly troubling case that Rioichi had a high metabolism but Zuko nor himself could be any happier with his flexibility and body weight.

In fact, Rioichi would have had quite a belly if it didn't wish to remain in shape.

Rioichi clutched a long staff in his hands as he had his eyes narrowed in determination with a confident lick of his dry lips, silently hoping that whatever stunt he was about to pull would work.

Now, the red panda raccoon male loved to pull off some daring things in his spare time even if he did love analysing things about his family book even more. He also liked to practice some of his limited martial arts in the forbidden spire clearings of mount Shiomi where thunder and lightning usually caught the land in a harsh yet epic looking atmosphere like some fish to a baited fishing hook.

As soon as the red furred raccoon was ready he used the Bo staff to slingshot himself through the air and the shadows from the harshly bright sunlight cast upon his face and he landed in the cool waters beneath him. It turned out that upon landing from the Bo staff stunt, he had soaked more then his feet upon impact to the soggy sand little ways underneath the water.

Most thought of him as a maniac for pulling off all of these acts of self endangerment and Rioichi didn't even batter an eye as he knew for a fact that they couldn't control nor contain him.

Grinning excitedly, the red panda Raccoon peaked over his shoulder behind him to look at a mechanical Japanese clock resting underneath a large cherry blossom tree.

Somehow he just had a driving instinct that would kick in each day and tell him to do something that would exercise his body and mind. For what, he didn't know. He read his family book a lot in his spare time and he knew that Zuko (his adopted father) wouldn't approve of him becoming a thief like those before him.

Rioichi shook his head. He hated it whenever he felt like a puppet whose movements could be determined by the movement of some useless strings.

The time was now 3:40 precisely and it was time for him to study the book that was in his family for generations. Rioichi had this adaptability so he could blend anything new into his day even if he never done it any other day.

It was nano seconds after a big shake of his russet fur and Rioichi ran towards the cherry tree where his clock bathed in the shade. It was such a beautiful day and he wouldn't love it any less.

The raccoon dug his nails into the bark of the tree trunk and managed to swiftly scale the Sakura tree with little difficulty as he gave a few grunts so he could get into a comfortable position whilst being concealed within an abundance of soft, pink petals that were highly delicate to his touch.

Climbing into the tree and laying down lightly on top of one of the branches, Rioichi allowed himself to relax whilst being suspended in mid air by the light bedding of branches underneath him and he managed to stay on by those fine yet sturdy branches that made the arms. He managed to place two slim fingers along the pages in between the two halves of the big treasured piece of literature and opened it by its golden opening against the cover and the end page.

Rioichi once again found his attention lost within the first two paragraphs of reading about one of his most intriguing ancestors whom gone by the name of Sleigh MacCooper, one of the strongest of the Cooper lineage. To Rioichi this fascinating book was so intriguing that he couldn't help but feel like that this book was of all of his ancestors before him whispering words of the past to him and he felt so close to them that he could almost hear them whispering his name in the wind.

His eyes skimmed along merrily through the pages as he felt content in his little spot of happiness and for once he felt like nothing could possibly go array. That was until he heard a boastful voice directed towards him that made not only his smile fade but his expression changed from intrigued and fascinated to mildly bored and frustrated.

"Rioichi Cooper," The very familiar foe half taunted half declared "I challenge you to a duel!"

The raccoon could only roll his eyes at the melodramatic sounding voice. He knew that voice too well as he knew almost immediately that the one who owned this voice was actually Rohan Le Paradox whom was now in his mid 20's as he was 5 years older after all. His pricked ears faltering and flattening against his head to expose his top knot, Rioichi looked down from where he laid and peered through the soft pink cherry blossoms to get an actual view of the skunks face.

Rohan was positioned in an offensive battle stance with a stone faced glare plastered on his face and not to mention that his eyes were narrowed. He clutched a katana blade in his hand although it was impossible to figure out how the skunk was even managing to hold it despite his seriously weak stature and little to no arm muscle. Actually, his arms looked like little ebony furred worms that looked kind of like he was having some difficulty holding the blades handle.

The red panda raccoon leapt down from his resting place but kept the Thevieus Raccoonus tucked away safely behind his backpack all while trying not to laugh at the mere sight of Rohan trying to intimidate him.

Falling from the very short height of the trees branches, Rioichi sided his landing with some expertly performed side flips and finished with a calm minded pose. Of course Rioichi hadn't forgotten the promise he had made to Zuko when he was seven years of age but he wasn't planning to harm the skunk but he was trying desperately not to start up something as Rohan had been wanting to battle for a very long while.

"You think you can impress me with your cat-like reflexes?" Rohan scoffed with a dismissively smug wave of the hand "Please..."

Rioichi was hesitant but decided to give the skunk one chance to walk away as he didn't want to disappoint his adopted father. Giving a peaceful hand gesture, he made the offer "Rohan-San. I shall give you one chance to walk away so I wouldn't have to break my vow and start a quarrel."

"You mean a quarrel that had started from the beginning?" Rohan snarled through his flaring nostrils upon his shiny black nose.

Rioichi was now confused. What did the skunk mean by 'a quarrel that had started from the beginning'? It made no sense and as his russet ears flattened against his head once more, he couldn't help but find his navy blue mask scrunch against weary brows. Rohan knew something he did not and this peaked his curiosity to endless measures as his tail weaved fluidly behind him as to show his webbed thoughts sticking together like the delicate threads of a knitting set with the needles clicking away tirelessly.

"What are you talking about?" The copper furred ring-tail queried with his brows knitting together.

Rohan narrowed his eyes deeper yet his irritated frown transformed into a bitterly sweet smirk which made Rioichi back away a little in reluctance to fight upon discovering that the skunk knew something more. Something that could change his entire world forever.

"...Bah, it matters not what we say or do!" Rohan scoffed again in an attempt to change the subject "Instead I shall strike you dead here and now."

Rioichi felt his throat become dry and the pleasant daytime darken around him just a little bit. Actually he noticed that out of the corner of his eye that the sun had disappeared behind a few meek storm clouds that had gathered from the north all of the sudden which was strange considering that there wasn't a cloud in the sky mere moments ago. Adjusting his position a little, Rioichi knew he had no option but to run away as he did just that.

He had to ignore the shouts and mocking laughter echoing from a little ways behind him as Rioichi fled as quickly as he could from the scene. He just couldn't disappoint his adopted father as he had sacrificed so much for him since the raccoon was just an abandoned young kit. He screwed his eyes shut in an attempt to drown out those mocking laughters escaping his enemy's throat from a far behind and luckily the distance had muffled it slightly.

After noticing that the air had stiffened slightly and there was a sourness greeting him, Rioichi looked around at his surroundings. Ever since Rohan had arrived this day, there was this upending feeling of dread settling in Rioichi's intestines and it felt like something horrid was about to befall him. Keeping a tight grasp on the book he treasured, Rioichi slowed his pace once he was confident that he was far from trouble as possible but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

The sky no longer had that welcoming greeting it had before and for some reason this worried him as he knew deep down that something was wrong.

Little did he know that he was correct.

Upon returning to his home village, Rioichi was greeted with the sight of multiple unsettled faces and expressions. He didn't need to be a genius to know that something was up and whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

The atmosphere was now dank and moist to show that it was about to pour down with hammering rain. Even the storm clouds above seemed to be nearly black from how quick the weather had changed! The latest Cooper descendant was met by his adoptive uncle Milan whom gave him a respective bow upon first seeing him.

"Uncle Milan. What an honour this is to see you..." Rioichi said with a calm bow but on the inside he was anything but calm and composed. Out of all the village folk he couldn't see his adoptive father Zuko anywhere amongst the crowd and this shoved a terrible fear into his paranoia filled stomach.

He looked up and scanned the massive startled crowd for Zuko a second time but again found no traces of him, instantly giving him the feeling that Zuko's absence was the reason for their constant fright. Rioichi swallowed and asked "Where is my adoptive father?"

Milan looked saddened yet thoughtful as he scratched his chin. It was as if he was thinking of a way to explain this to the young adult red panda raccoon and when he didn't answer for a while, Rioichi shook his head and asked with his trembling voice betraying how panicky and unsettled he was becoming "H-He's in The hidden Shuriken, is he not? He is always there!"

Zuko's candle shop was named the Hidden Shuriken and he never left there unless it was of dire importance or to go fishing with his adoptive son at the end of the day. Somehow, if the red panda raccoon wasn't showing his increasing denial before, he was most definitely showing how afraid he was now as he was now quaking where he stood.

"Rioichi...He went to-" Milan began but Rioichi just backed off whenever the panda tried to envelope his adopted nephew in for a hug, clearly not wanting any type of embrace right now. His ears pricked up wearily as he eyed everyone with hostility as he was becoming unnerved by the eerie silence that befell the village folk.

After what seemed like an eternity, Milan finally spat out what he was trying to say "You're Otosan left for Shiomi mountain..."

"But what about the wolf packs!?" Rioichi's throat went unbelievably dry at what he just heard leave his uncle's lips.

Mount Shiomi had a dangerous wolf pack that attacked anyone who dared come near them and they were especially aggressive in the mating season which it was now. Nobody went to that place except Rioichi in secret but the mountains apparently had this sacred lake that had the best fish one could find and that was likely the reason why Zuko left.

Milan found his voice lost within his throat as his voice deserted him.

Rioichi didn't need to know the rest of the details as he thought it over. Zuko had took care of him for years and the red furred raccoon never thought of how to repay him for his years of kindness and generosity. This was it! Giving a stone faced glare and convincing himself that this was best, Rioichi wordlessly turned on his feet and stared at the distant Mount Shiomi which had a few especially dark storm clouds rolling in as lightning flashed menacingly.

His eyes narrowed determinedly as he knew what he was going to do.

* * *

**A/N: Ooh! I'm proud of this chapter! Rioichi is now an adsolent and its 3 years before he meets Sly and friends. We nearly get a battle of Rohan and Rioichi and you must be excited for when Rioichi becomes a ninja which I promise I will do. **

**Also, I notice a few pandas in the village where Rioichi lives in and I notice that the candle shop the gang stays in is called the Hidden Shuriken. How do I know this? Just click the select button on the ps3 remote in any place and you'll find out where you are. Anyways, that's besides the point.**

**Again, Mount Shiomi is a real place. I just thought that I'd be useful to put in there since I don't know much about Japanese landmarks and/or places. **

**I'm still excited about doing the next chapter. It took me all day to finish this chapter and I'm proud of it. I hope you all like it too.**

**Arigato, my faithful viewers! **

**-Chloemcg **


	5. Rubbing salt into a wound

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rioichi Cooper but I own the other characters as well as the plot.**

**Tales of Rioichi.**

* * *

Rioichi never recalled a time he had ran so fast in all his life. He would run through the hammering rain spitting from the skies above just to get some ingredients from the village shops sometimes though. Yet, despite the sheer urgency of this job compared to one of those runs, the red panda raccoon kept his legs working tirelessly as he sped through the ancient bamboo forests so he could get to the dreaded mount Shiomi before his adopted father got picked off by a highly aggressive wolf pack.

The skies were now heavy with almost black storm clouds and there was not a single clear space where the skies would have been spared from these grim mottles and patches of accumulated clouds. The sky was like a canvas of nostalgia which Rioichi would picture constantly in his mind as he saw the black-grey mountainous peak right at the top that was constantly having cracking streaks of lightning to bright to even look at.

The red panda raccoon never stopped running as he was dashing at such a speed that could rival that of a cheetah racing at full speed across the savannahs of Africa. He would have ran on all four legs but the young adult raccoon couldn't risk hurting the skin on the palms of his paws.

It felt like an eternity but Rioichi finally reached the foot of the ginormous mountainside and he looked up at it with his eyes so wide that they nearly popped out from their sockets. He couldn't explain it but he felt his heart thumping harder within his chest and it was noticeable that he was finding it hard to keep himself calm. Visibly, his slender chest heaved in and out and his shoulders matched the intakes of movement and he decided to climb up the mountain and nobody could tell him otherwise as he placed a paw firmly against a small rocky ledge that jutted out to make this thing easier to scale.

_step, climb, step, climb, step _went Rioichi's hands and feet as he busily scaled the tall raised piece of earth and used his tail to keep him balanced for the time being until he could at least reach the summit.

As he was a raccoon, it was in Rioichi Cooper's nature to climb things with little difficulty at all. He climbed trees and ropes easily but rock and mountain was a different story...

Rioichi noticed that the air began to grow thinner as his height quickly escalated from the foot of this huge mountain to almost at the summit of this monstrosity of a piece of raised earth. He jumped startled when a sudden momentary blinding flash encased the land for a brief nano second before subsiding and leaving a thunderous roar and a wide eyed red panda raccoon in its wake.

Rioichi's rusty brown pools wandered around in search of something as if he was just reminded of where he was and what he was doing. Shaking his head as to rid himself of his sudden fright, the copper furred ring tail continued scaling the massive piece of raised land and he very soon reached the summit which consisted in a flat surface and many raised miniature cone shaped spires that made it look like a mountainous path way.

His gaze shifted from the obvious path to the ground in front of him and he found something that made his heart stop erratically. The frisbee shaped straw hat Zuko _always_ took with him just laid by his feet, having no purpose as of right now. Rioichi fell to his knees and gathered the hat quickly and examined it with a dry mouth, his paws shifting the headwear continuously to check for any clues as to where the owner of this hat had gone. He found nothing but a few messed places of straw on the rim that either worn away from age or a vicious attack.

The young adult coon prayed that it was the former.

Climbing to his feet, the young red panda raccoon suddenly felt a gust of wind blow by and he shuddered where he stood whilst hugging his arms in an attempt to warm them and he closed his eyes for a moment. His teeth chattered as he knew that it was going to rain very soon.

The strange thing was that even though he had climbed all the way up here, Rioichi hadn't heard a single wolf howl or even a vicious bark or growl even if you could hear those mangy dogs from here to the centre of the village. It was too quiet to assume that everything was okay and this scared him more than anything as Rioichi decided not to waste anymore time and picked himself off the ground and ran across the pathway until the sounds of dog like whining and some pained grunts filled his ears even if they sounded somewhat muffled to his keen hearing.

Those grunts sounded too familiar to Rioichi as his eyes widened in terror. That was Zuko!

Rioichi found that his legs were moving long before he commanded them to start moving as he madly dashed to where the grunts and whimpers where originating from. What he found made his blood run cold as he stopped dead in his tracks with eyes wider than the wheels of a cart.

Zuko laid curled up on the ground as he tried to shield himself from the pack of vicious wolves snapping their sharp teeth at him as they dug their claws into the concrete ground beneath them.

Rioichi's pointy ears darted back in worry. He didn't know what he had to do now to get these wolves off his adopted father but he was going to try what he could, he thought, as he narrowed his eyes angrily and rushed to the group of dogs.

He hurriedly grabbed one of the wolves by the hind legs and angrily tossed him off with a new found strength that had somehow been unleashed since mere moments ago.

Rioichi was met by multiple pairs of yellow eyes and he backed off a little whilst all of their attention was caught off their potential prey and, within moments, Rioichi sprinted off to lead the gnarly pack of dogs away from Zuko. Sweat dribbled down the red panda raccoons brow as he ran as fast as his legs could carry him with his navy blue mask sinking in from pure exposure to the moist air.

Rain began to fall from the sky and spit in the young Cooper's face as he ran with his teeth gritted into desperate fangs. He felt his heart _pound _like a drum within his entire chest cavity as he tried to lead these wolves away from his adopted father and all the while he held the straw hat that had fallen off Zuko's head. He felt his legs give out underneath him as he found something smack into his leg and all at once he fell flat on his stomach clumsily. Giving a small moan, Rioichi lifted his head and tiredly looked ahead.

He had reached a dead end!

Quickly getting back up to his feet, Rioichi looked at the pack of growling wolves behind him. They approached him with what appeared to be dark smirks smacking their long muzzles as their black noses sniffed at their prey and their long bushy tails swishing through the gritty moisture that lingered tirelessly in the air.

Rioichi didn't need to look over his shoulder to know that if he toppled over the edge of the summit then it would spell instant death by falling into the blackest abysses below ever recovered in history. Biting his bottom lip, the copper furred ninja master swallowed a heavy knot that constricted his trachea as his eyes were wide. He didn't think that his life would end basically because wolves teared him to shreds...

He felt his foot slip on the rocky ledge he stood on and, keeping his eyes glued to the predators, Rioichi quickly peaked over his shoulder to find that there was a very sharp spire between him, the wolves and certain death in pitch blackness. He felt his gut twist sharply at the thought of falling to his death but he knew that this option was far better than being eaten.

Besides it would be a great way to find out if his spire jumping training would pay off...

He took a deep inhale through his nostrils as he shut his eyes and performed a flip backwards. Time slowed down so much as he performed that painstakingly slow backflip but he snapped open his eyes the instant his feet touched the slight point of the rock spike that stuck out between the wolf hoarded part of land and an endless pit of agony and despair. Planting his feet just right so he could stay perfectly balanced on the spire, the red panda raccoon landed on the piece of rock perfectly in time to see the wolves so foolishly lunge after their prey but ended up falling to their deaths with long howls.

Rioichi gave a small sigh of relief as time finally caught up with him and he placed a heavy hand to where his heart should be and felt it roughly pound underneath the palm of his furry russet appendage. He felt the calming oceans of relief lap over all the worries he had before as the rain dripped from his soaking wet fur to make him cold from the hammering rain even though he barely noticed the numbing drips of liquid pouring from the sky and pelting his skinny form sat hunched lazily over.

He tried to get over the stunt he had just pulled. Indeed, Rioichi had pulled worse acts of recklessness, but this felt different. Then he remembered his adopted father...

He jumped back to the other ledge he came from with little difficulty as lighting flashed a second time but unlike earlier it done little to startle him. While the flash was mighty and cracked against the grim skies in a blinding vein-like streak of light, Rioichi vaguely felt his numb feet drum against the dark slated flooring underneath his feet as he rushed back to where Zuko was still curled up into a ball but he lay still and motionless.

The red panda raccoon felt a feeling of utter dread sink into the pit of his mind as he galloped towards the adult older panda and gently caressed his cheek whilst softly making the panda bear look his adopted son right in the eye. Rioichi never thought that he'd see Zuko look so frail and so weak and seriously hoped that it wasn't his time.

"...Rio...Rioichi...-" Zuko coughed weakly with his eyes filled with this shining excitement even if his eyes were drained and tired but he was cut off by his adopted son whom shushed him before he could say anymore.

"Do not speak, Zuko-San, you will be fine and I shall get Uncle Milan to heal your wounds and-and-and...!"

It was Rioichi's turn to be silenced by Zuko stroking behind his copper coloured ear tenderly. His eyes brimmed with tears that threatened to expose his weakness.

"Shhhh, my son. Please listen to me..." Zuko stroked Rioichi's ear more tenderly and the red furred raccoon bathed in the affectionate warmth from the panda bear's warm paw even though the tears the red panda raccoon shed were more visible as they basically blended with the cold rain "...As much as I hate to say it, it would appear that my time is up." he coughed again and ignored Rioichi's rambling that followed this.

"B-But, you cannot leave me! We both have much more memories to share and you still have the Hidden Shuriken to take after...I cannot lose you, father."

Zuko feebly removed his paw from the young adult coon's ear to where his thumping heart was in his chest "You will not, Rioichi, I promise. I will always be right here..." he pressed two weak fingers upon the raccoon's chest to empathise his point.

As Rioichi wiped a soaking wet sleeve across his eyes; he noticed just how battered and wounded those wolves had left him. Bruises and scratches adorned his blobby figure and he had many bite marks running down his arms and head and even a smaller bite wound from his small circular ear. Most of the black and white fur on his face and chubby stomach looked so broken and so irreparably harmed that it was very hard not to conceal the tears he cried in rivulets as they left damp streaks down his face where the rain could not really dampen his fur.

His eyes were big and full of sorrow as those rusty brown eyes full of child-like innocence burned right into Zuko's soul as the young adult tried to suck up his tears and be the man the panda needed him to be. Sniffling sadly, Rioichi traced a tender finger along the boarder of Zuko's soaking wet cheek.

It became apparent that Zuko wasn't going to make it so Rioichi just held him tight with tears flowing from his already bloodshot eyes as his ears had flattened upon his soaking wet head, pressing his cheek fur against his adopted father's face as the storm had worsened to an extent of looking highly familiar to a dying panda. Zuko had his head laid against his adopted son's lap as he stared up aimlessly at the darkened skies looming overhead above them both.

Feeling a nostalgic certainty, Zuko's breathing become noticeably shallow as he told his adopted son with a soft croak of a voice "I love this kind of weather...Would you like to know why?"

Rioichi didn't speak as he wanted to cherish _each _and every word being said to him. He never wanted this kind of fate to befall the one whom had taken care of him from a pitiful four year old and carried him through adsolence much like a muscular man would carry a heavy boulder over their shoulder to prove their strength. His heart was breaking in three ways right now and he didn't even care to list those three ways.

He nodded once.

"...Because it reminds me of the night I found the best thing that ever happened to me." Zuko wheezed sentimentally as he smiled with what little strength he had saved up and continued holding his son's hand comfortingly. Rioichi couldn't help but smile at what his adopted father said as the russet furred male coon nuzzled Zuko lovingly as he hugged the panda softly while rubbing his forehead lovingly against the panda's own.

"I...love you..." Zuko breathed a final farewell before he unknowingly faded into a blissful unconsciousness.

The rain spilled down against the two and darkened the atmosphere even more if possible. Rioichi opened his mouth to say something to his adopted father but he suddenly noticed that Zuko's body had gone limp and motionless! No, this couldn't be happening!

"Otosan, NO!" Rioichi wailed as he buried his face into Zuko's still chest and fresh tears left his eyes and allowed his entire body to tremble and quake as he basically curled up around the corpse of his adopted father. He never felt so heart broken in all his life as he felt destroyed on the inside and he wept over the loss of his adoptive father whom had loved him since he was just a little kit.

The next day, everyone was not only horrified to hear of Zuko's fate but Rioichi didn't even bother to return to the village. A massive portion of the village had gathered around a statue made in honour of the panda whom had given them so much over the past few years and even sold the finest candles. Zuko was a friend, trusted shop keeper, brother, beloved son, uncle and father.

As the rain had once again poured down upon the village inhabitants, they all kept their heads low in remorse.

Rioichi had disappeared but it was understandable how Zuko was the only family the young adult raccoon had and everyone decided to leave the youngster alone with his thoughts as while nobody knew what it was like to lose a family member so close, it was easy to tell that it smashed Rioichi's heart to an extent being broken beyond repair. Grief and sorrow filled everyone's hearts as they had a 10 minute silence as to mourn over the loss of the panda.

The cobble stone path was very heavy on everyone's feet and bodies as they soon began to wander solemnly back to their homes and only Milan remained. The other male adult panda carried his cub in his strong arms as he looked at the stature with a saddened look. While he missed his brother, Milan knew that he had to move on with his life as Zuko wouldn't have wanted him to be down on himself even though he knew that some wounds took a long time to heal. Especially Rioichi's wounds.

Milan and the others walked away from the newly refurbished statue of the fisherman panda that stood just outside the abandoned warehouse and began their sorrow filled trek back to their homes and families. While they grieved one soul was over the moon about it.

This figure was none other than Rohan Le Paradox whom grinned snidely at this from a far distance as he hidden amongst the bamboo sticks concealing his presence.

Nobody knew where Rioichi was but it seemed that he needed to not only be found but also have the salt rubbed deeper into his wounds by the skunk.

Alright he didn't need it but that's what Rohan believed as he walked into the bamboo forest and was instantly out of sight.

* * *

**A/N: *Sad music playing* Awwww, poor Rioichi. I took no joy in writing this chapter but I will make the chapter a lot lighter, I promise! You'll never guess who appears in it and I think you'll love me for it. I hope you do, anyway. **

**Sorry about the rushed ending, guys. **

**Please review and let me know if there is anything that I could improve.**

**-Chloemcg**


	6. Rioichi and the shark

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rioichi Cooper but I own the other characters as well as the plot.**

**Tales of Rioichi.**

* * *

Rioichi sat depressingly hunched up with his tail curled up around his body, all while the lakes waters lapped over each and every enveloping wave to cause the little boat he sat in to rock back and forth and sway side to side.

One would normally get sick by this and the scent of water filling his nostrils to the point where he couldn't hope to sniff anything else when he finally leaves the little boat but the red furred raccoon adsolent didn't plan on leaving any time soon. He was just so depressed about the fate that fell upon his adopted father and for the past three days he spent here, a single thought about hearing Zuko's dying words gnawing at the back of his mind would be enough to sent the young adult's eyes crying up a storm.

He had no idea how long exactly he had sat like this but he had no intent on going back until a miracle happens and his adopted father came back to life.

A fishing pole was jammed in between his legs as Rioichi had half his face leaning against his curled knuckles while his ears were again flattened sadly but this time, they didn't raise an inch as he was too depressed to allow them to be straightened. The straw hat Zuko wore had also been loosely fitted upon his head as he just stared at his only company since he found these gentle waters: his reflection.

Each lapping wave altered the reflection in some way but all Rioichi could see was the incredibly sad face his lips had complimented while his eyes remained bloodshot and vaguely misty, too tired to cry anymore of those forsaken tears that he had shed.

It was then that something tugged on his rod.

Rioichi's hands instinctively clamped down on the wooden rod as he knew that whatever had taken the bait was about a very large size considering the large amount of strength this beast had obtained. It was a wonder that the rod didn't snap in half there and then!

He yanked and he pulled the rod to get his prize as his depression had momentarily been forgotten and he smiled a little excitedly for the first time anyone saw in free days.

It took 5 minutes of carefully reeling the fish in to shore and felt the boat jump backwards by a giant wave lapping underneath at the fishes reveal now that it was out of the water and Rioichi was sure that Zuko's hat had fallen off.

He was both horrified and shocked to find that he had caught a shark! He inwardly gasped at the sight of his biggest catch ever but couldn't help but notice a hook stuck in this beasts dorsal fin. Rioichi had caught plenty of fish in his time but he had to ask himself something: How on earth did this shark bite down on worms!? Didn't sharks usually eat smaller fish?

The menacing glimmer inside the shark's yellow orbs was certain and he was sure that this thing would pose as a threat so, pulling out a razor sharp knife, Rioichi pressed the blade against the shark's neck and was careful not to cut his throat right then and there as the prey pressed his fins together in a shamelessly begging gesture. His toothy frown was worried and even fearful as he breathed inwardly in utter fear.

"P-Please, don't hurt me! I'm a retired soldier and father of 5 and I don't need to die, p-p-please spare me!" The shark basically wept his pleas in desperation whilst Rioichi arched a threatening brow of disbelief as he grinded his teeth into fangs, clearly not trusting a word the shark was telling him.

"Likely story, monsūta!" Rioichi growled hotly, continuing to press the blade against the shark's chubby neck. He felt rage bubble up within him as he then noticed something beneath his preying fins, making his rage dissipate to the point of it altering into the form of curiosity as he noticed something under the sharks fins. The young adult coon slowly lowered the blade from the terrified monster-sized fishes neck, confusing the victim, and knocked both his fins apart so he could get a better look.

There was a the symbol of a raccoon painted in black worn upon the chest and Rioichi squinted his eyes at it as he found that tattoo very familiar but had to rack his brains for answers until the pieces finally clicked and his eyes widened as well as his mouth gaped open a little in surprise, his expression changing from confused to thoughtful.

It was the all too familiar mark of the Cooper clan

Rioichi raised his brows in surprise as he placed a finger against the tattoo as he asked with the previous hostility in his voice replaced by a tone of innocent wonder "Where did you...Where in the name of Sakamoto did you get that mark?"

The shark arched a brow of utter confusion. Why did this raccoon suddenly go from wanting to kill him to staring at his chest with equal confusion painted all over his face? He looked down at his own chest, with his fins still raised, and noticed the tattoo he bore. He still looked shaken up and quaked a little bit but he seemed surprisingly calmer than before.

"Oh!" his eyes brightened "I got it from a friend of the family. Apparently a miss Isamu Cooper worked with my dad awhile back and I received this cool little thing as a reminder of her." The shark explained.

Rioichi gasped in surprise with his jaw dropping down. This shark knew his mother!? His ears dropped against his head as he tried to absorb all of this. Of course, he was still sad about Zuko's death but this was a truly amazing revelation! He knew little about his mother but he still was eager to hear more as he stared intently into the sharks eyes in hopes to ignite some recognition.

The shark seemed a little unnerved by the stare the raccoon was giving him as he moved back a little where he sat, the bottom half of his eyes being lidded uncomfortably. "...Why are you staring at me like that?"

It took a few more moments of staring but the shark beamed at the young adult coon whence he realised that the russet furred ring tail looked kind of familiar! He gasped a little with his eyes wider than saucers. Was it true? Was the young one really telling him what he thought he was telling him?

"Wait, are you implying that you're the...Son of Isamu?" The shark asked with a growing smile growing on his lips.

Rioichi nodded and decided to remove the Thevieus Raccoonus from behind his back as proof. The boat tipped a little bit at the extra weight as it swayed in the calming waters of the lake and this painted a peaceful picture just meant for this kind of scene to be taking place as the suns streams of golden sunlight reflected off the liquid known as h20 and made it dance it a magnificent array of golden and glowing orangey goodness.

Rioichi set the book down on his lap and smiled at the shark as he bowed his head and closed his eyes "Please forgive me for almost cutting you into bite sized cubes." He opened his eyes at the feel of a weight being placed upon his shoulder urging him to look into the eyes of the shark he had befriended.

This sharks eyes were almost soothing as he smiled a big smile full of razor sharp teeth even though it was supposed to be friendly but turned out rather strange. Not that Rioichi would say this to his new friend.

"Its no problem, young one," the shark bowed "I would have reacted the same way if it were I who had pulled up something as big as me from a fishing hook."

Rioichi just smiled as polite but heartfelt smile. Other than Harumi, he had just made the very first friend of his life and he couldn't help but start it off with a pleasant introduction as he bowed a second time, feeling that he needed to sincerely start making it up to the shark by at least telling him of his name "Konnichiwa, my name is Rioichi Cooper," he looked up with a smile "What name may I call you?"

The shark grinned a little and rolled his eyes. Clearly, the young adult raccoon was trying to apologise for his behaviour even though he was already forgiven and it was kind of nice that he was getting a proper friendship started instead of the usual reaction involving girly screaming that was followed by running away.

He returned the gracious bow as his shift in weight tipped the boat forwards slightly but it wasn't close to being enough to tipping the both of them overboard "My name is Sashimi. It is an honour to meet an actual Cooper in person."

But with the introduction finished, Sashimi decided to bring something interesting to light as he pointed to the Thevieus Raccoonus "Alright. I can see that you have the book but what of the cane?"

"My...Cane?" Rioichi's face was now etched with confusion as his brows scrunched against his natural born copper furred mask that ringed his eyes. He had wondered why every Cooper before him had a cane as he knew that they were each perfectly capable of walking. The subject rarely tingled at his mind even if he had thought about the cane prospect many times...

The male shark adult blasted out laughing as he slammed a fin that curled into a fist repeatedly upon the roughly carved rim keeping both himself at the young raccoon onboard. He screwed his eyes shut in laughter "PAHAHAHAHA! You...You have to be playing some joke! You actually expect me to believe that you haven't even...heard...of..." Sashimi slowly stopped laughing when he noticed the confused yet serious look of the latest Cooper descendant. His brows flattened against his eyes to paint a worried look upon his face.

"You are not joking..." He realised with a frown. Rioichi looked down at his lap, crestfallen. He looked severely lost like he had been absent of something important for too long and not only had his life been stolen but also a future.

Sashimi knew that Rioichi needed to know of his family heritage since it was just sad that he didn't even know about the cane to begin with! Placing a gentle fin whilst wearing a kindly smile, the shark suggested "Come. We need to go somewhere nicer to speak as it is not an option to talk out here where it is cold."

Rioichi looked up a little and nodded in agreement. He had been outside for three days and he hadn't eaten a morsel or even had anything to drink because of who he had just lost! The atmosphere around the two had been soured by the fact that the young russet furred red panda raccoon had been lost for years but the peacefulness remained. It set a lingering pristine shine in the air that would set anyone within it in a mood of tranquility as Sashimi began to steadily row the bow by dipping his fin into the waters and stroking it backwards so they could swim back to shore.

Rioichi reached into the water to retrieve Zuko's straw hat and scooped it up into his arms and decided to assist his new friend as he too paddled a hand in the water by reaching down and lowering it into the cold embrace of the meandering waters causing the rickety wooden boat to sway to the sides.

He stroked it with a resembling amount of strength in his hand that matched Sashimi's.

As they steered the boat down the stream, Sashimi spoke with a smile "Well as you don't know about the cane deal, we might have to fix that and I'll tell you all about your family heritage."

* * *

**A/N: Get it? I named the shark after sushi or more like Rioichi later named a certain type of sushi after his friend! I noticed that there was a cave named Sashimi caverns which I thought Rioichi named after his friend. **

**I had some inspiration from the comic strip and the magnificent story of 'Tales of the Cooper clan -Rioichi'. I hope that this is alright. **

**Also I made it so Rioichi doesn't know a lot about his family or heritage so he has to learn from scratch. That and how can he not know about the cane? I'll leave you to make up your own reasons as I don't know yet. **

**I hope that this is enough to satisfy you guys for now. Please review and let me know what you think! I would also listen to the Japanese Instrumental - Eternity (Sakura's Leaves Fall Down) while reading this chapter. **

**Thanks! **

**-Chloemcg**


	7. Origins of the cane

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rioichi Cooper but I own the other characters as well as the plot.**

**Tales of Rioichi.**

* * *

The trees rustled against the night time air as each plant belonging in this area was silhouetted by the night even though a small swarm of fireflies floated past to paint a very pretty canvas of peace and grace. The little dirt path streamed across the flourishing ground of lush grass that sparkled by the dew drops that weighed each tiny blade of grass down a little. Where did the dirt path lead, you might ask?

Rioichi knew that as did Sashimi.

The two sat in a cave while staring at each other as if expecting something of each other but they also had a hand-made tray carrying a few peaches and other fruits.

The caverns they stayed in weren't that bad compared to other caves surrounding the area. According to old folklore, an ancient Tribunal once lived in these very caves but they had to leave one day and they never came back. Even though these murky tunnels were carrying a moisture in the air and a green-blue liquid seeped through the ceiling above and landed in little drops around the pair of individuals.

After awhile of saying nothing to each other, Rioichi finally broke the silence that consumed the both of them for the past half an hour.

"So Sashimi-San. What do you know of my family?" The copper furred raccoon inquired with his head tilted to one side in confusion as his hands rested upon his folded lap.

Sashimi looked up from the fruit and stared right back at the coon with curious eyes. He scratched the top of his head in deep thought as he tried to recall Rioichi's mother from the top of his head as he didn't see the female raccoon since he was a teen and he was now a forgetful 37 year old shark.

"Hmm..." He mumbled thoughtfully as he tapped his chin with one of his curved fins "From what I can recall, you're mother was a skilled strategist and one of the most admirable thieves in all Japan. She stole only from corrupt lords such as Daimyos and Shoguns and gave the rich to the less fortunate." He smiled "Think of it as a Japanese female Robin Hood."

Rioichi nodded as if to urge the shark to carry on. He knew full well what his mother before him did! Actually he researched her most of all in the Thevieus Raccoonus and could read her entire section within a day if he had wanted to.

Sashimi carried on "Anyways! She was the daughter of Karin Coopergiwa whom was a mistress pick pocketer and she originally came from the Eastern boarders of China where she lived out her childhood before moving to a little village here in Japan beside a few ancient mountains."

Rioichi cleared his throat to signal that he was getting bored of the history lesson. He loved history lessons, true, but not when it was all about stuff he knew already. Sashimi noticed this and decided to brush the subject off but also gave him a dull look "Well...you did ask, Rioichi-San."

Deciding to change the subject, Sashimi decided to bring the cane subject up for the third time today with a change of atmosphere piggy backing along with the jolly grin he gave "Now that I know you have some knowledge about you're family history and that you aren't totally useless, we need to make you a cane."

"Are you referring to the ones the other Coopers before me had?" Rioichi asked while scratching the front of his top knot in confusion.

The shark nodded.

Rioichi looked down with his focused mind clouded with the all too familiar confusion that always swarmed into his mind whenever he didn't understand something or it involved something odd about his ancestors before him. He sat there for several moments before finally looking back up towards Sashimi and he asked, his youthful yet wise voice intertwining with wonder "But why would the Coopers need a cane, do they have trouble walking?"

This time the shark shook his head but an amused smile plastered on his lips.

"No Ringutēru," Sashimi smiled wisely "Your ancestors before you actually used thier canes to aid them during their thieveries."

The red panda raccoon didn't quite understand. How could a cane assist in thieveries? His mind boggled with utter bewilderment as he tried to think of the possibilities.

His ears flattened whence he thought of how Zuko didn't want him to become a thief like his ancestors before him and this single reminder sent but a single thought pound his entire body as he stood up and went towards the cavern entrance with his eyes narrowed in refusal.

"I don't need a cane..." The raccoon muttered under his breath as he began to depart out the open door "...Because I am NOT going to become a thief."

Sashimi was shocked to hear this. Rioichi seemed so interested moments ago and now he changed his mind!?

"Huh? Wait, I-!"

He ran forwards to try and convince the raccoon otherwise but only for Rioichi to sharply turn with slitted eyes narrowed into a glare that made the shark halt abruptly in his tracks within 5 inches away from the raccoon.

Sashimi could have sworn that the mere sharp turn of half his body had made the dampened moisture staining the stone of the cavern floors condensate into a mist that surrounded a quarter of his body like a force field. It seemed to have made the young raccoon's anger more apparent.

The mist quickly disappeared around Rioichi's body but the raccoon's dead serious glare never left.

It was like all the turmoil and everything else had finally caught up to Rioichi as his face contorted with unspoken agony that pained his heart. His narrowed eyes were just inches from actually closing yet his rusty brown pupils stared right at the shark. The young coon's stillness was ever intimidating for Sashimi as he stayed still as if just blinking could set off Rioichi's anger and would therefore end up with yet another knife to his throat even though Sashimi doubted that he'd be fortunate presently.

Rioichi finally moved as he stomped off out of the caverns entrance to leave a shaken up Sashimi behind staring after him even if he didn't dare try to follow. This all seemed to be a tough piece of fish to swallow and Rioichi just needed some time alone.

Rioichi, though, wasn't doing great as he angrily kicked a stone that skipped a few yards in front of him before he soon caught up with it and kicked it again.

This cycle was seemingly endless.

"I cannot believe that I cannot be in charge of my own destiny...What does that shark even care, anyway?" Rioichi gave a soft growl before he kicked the pebble harder to the point of sending it flying into the sturdy bark of a tree far in front of him and it rebounded and came back towards him, smacking the young adult raccoon male square in the face.

The impact sent him down to the ground as he yelped in pain and rubbed at the place of impact where the pebble hit him. Rioichi held on to his throbbing head as he had an inkling that there was going to be a bruise starting to appear very soon. He laid flat on his back against the cold ground beneath him as he suddenly felt really tired all of a sudden.

The red panda raccoon opened his mouth widely in no attempt to hide his massive yawn and the lower part of his body automatically curled around his body with his tail to finish it off. He had now curled into the same position a cat would whenever it grown sleepy and had to rest its eyes and that was what Rioichi was going to do as he felt his eyes weigh down, close into a black abyss and his entire world become enveloped in darkness as he felt his spirit fade into slumber.

* * *

Rioichi couldn't make out very much as his vision was black even though he could hear voices, one of which sounded very familiar to him. He was confused. He had no peculiar train of thought as he could no longer think for himself at this point even though he felt a faint nostalgia of the scene. That was when he began to hear a pair of voices.

_"Tai has escaped! What are we to do?" _

_"Do not panic, Askar, we must remain vigil if we are to survive this." _

_"B-B-But we would be outnumbered by Tai and the Ninja Triad! You know who is going to slaughter you too!" _

_"...I know." _

Rioichi could barely make heads or tails of what these two were saying. As his entire world was black and he was presumably asleep, he didn't know if he was actually awake or if this was the fabrication of a dream; a memory? He had no idea as those voices echoed within his mind and they became clearer and clearer as the seconds ticked by...

That fist panicky voice owned by the one presumably named Askar sounded very unfamiliar to him but the second voice, on the other hand, sounded dead familiar! Rioichi inwardly tried to figure it out as he could very nearly place a finger on who owned that sweet angelic voice and he felt very helpless and small for some bizarre reason.

It was then that Rioichi decided to open his sleepy eyes but at first, he couldn't see much as his vision was clouded by a veil of slight blindness. He could vaguely make out some yellow splotches that was presumably paint in the room he was in and he seemed to have been shrunken down a considerable amount as he laid in the warmth of a comforting embrace. He opened his mouth to ask what was going on but it only came out as a small squeak that sounded as if he was...

His train of thought abruptly halted as he realised that one of his initial thoughts on this was correct: This was a memory of the past! He was back to being two years old! He looked up to see if it would confirm his suspicions and it was more proof than he originally intended as he was looking right into the eyes of his mother, Isamu Cooper.

Those brown eyes of hers weren't looking down at him at the moment but he could see that she was stressed about something as she looked across the room whilst she was seated in a chair. Her grey fur was in a slight mess as if she was severely worried but she also had this brave light in her eyes. Rioichi didn't like the look in her eye.

He followed her gaze and looked across the room and saw a crane that looked like a worried ladies made despite being a male. The cane was pacing back and forth worriedly whilst occasionally sparing a glance out the window to check for their 'guest'.

_"Isamu, please understand that we need to do this for his own good." _He looked at the young cub Isamu was carrying, noting the fact that he was barely awake.

Rioichi raised a small hand to rub at his eyes but he found that he was staring at those sweet eyes that made his heart melt at the mere sight. Those honey brown coloured irises stared right into his own matching ones as he saw her bend forwards and kiss his forehead lovingly.

The young raccoon felt the warm sensation of his mother's lips press against his forehead and he bathed in the sweet kindness his own mother provided. He didn't know why his mother abandoned her but seeing this memory kind of shattered him about it. Why did his mother leave him alone?

Once Isamu reluctantly parted her lips away from her sons head, she murmured softly to him with caring eyes and a tender smile worn upon her sweet lips _"Sleep now, little Rioichi, I know you will become a greater Ninja than I and I want you to know that I will love you no matter what happens." _

On that last note, Rioichi began to feel the memory slip away. No! He didn't want to leave, he thought in horror, as he felt his consciousness begin to once again take over. He tried his hardest to stay in this loving scene as he wanted to find out more about his mother and his father, Tai. Who was the ninja Triad? What did his dad do? He didn't know and he didn't want to leave.

* * *

Rioichi's eyes snapped open as he bolted upwards and looked around while letting out raspy pants. The young raccoon felt kind of sad that he had that memory but many questions were brought to light and each and everyone of them involved that memory...

The moonlight beamed down upon Rioichi with their silver streams of glimmering light as it was embedded into the navy blue night skies whilst the stars all twinkled gracefully alongside their superior as it provided a sweetly calming evening. The young adult raccoon looked at the peaceful night skyline for a few moments before he looked down at his lap thoughtfully.

A feeling of determination renewed itself inside the Japanese raccoon as he gently slammed a russet fist to the dirt path he laid on with a brimming determination filling every fibre of his being. His ears flicked against the cool evening air, his head lifting attentively upwards as he slowly climbed to his feet.

The forest was calm and somewhat amazing to look at and view as the surroundings of the forest path. Someone would have to think about how lovely the view was if they were surrounded by such a inspiring view around them!

Rioichi felt a smile curl at the corners of his lips as he knew what he had to do now.

"It is time to fashion my own cane."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry about the sloppy chapter. I thought that it would be good to make Rioichi still have trouble coping with the loss of his adopted father. But anyways, I think you all know what the flashback means! I might just add a Disney's Hunchback of Notredame moment in the next chapter. **

**I hope this chapter is good enough, guys! **

**-Chloemcg**


	8. Birds of a feather

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rioichi Cooper but I own the other characters as well as the plot.**

**Tales of Rioichi.**

* * *

The sunlight greeted the world with its warm grace peaking through the few clouds that lingered in the sky that day. The cherry blossom petals fluttered through the air just like the fireflies at night and just added a charming touch to the beautiful scene unfolding.

The morning dawn was so bright as it casted a silhouette against a small shape of a familiar figure resting against what appeared to be a half cut log that was very long and very dense. The figure was, of course, Rioichi whom laid against a log as he rested his forehead against the half cut part of the dense log whilst he clutched a very small carving knife in his left hand.

Clearly the young adult coon had fallen asleep while he was half way done with making his cane as the soft snores purring from Rioichi's throat were vibrating against the sound atmosphere and his bushy tail curled up around his legs subconsciously as if to give them more comforting warmth besides the sunlight beaming the radiant golden streaks of harmonious sunlight against his slender physique.

It wasn't until a small pink petal touched softly against a pricked ear that Rioichi began to drowsily arouse himself. He lifted his heavy head as his eyelids felt like weights mostly due to the fact that the 20 year old Japanese raccoon had been up most of the night crafting up a cane from scratch mostly based on the pictures he saw of his ancestors each holding a cane with a C shaped hook for a top.

He was still a little confused about the matter but Rioichi decided to do this task anyways seeing as his mother before him wanted this from him. He couldn't explain it but he felt somewhat like this was the first of many pieces of his puzzle meant to fall into place.

Inhaling the soft morning scent, the raccoon reached two hands behind his back and firmly pressed both hands against his spine until he heard a satisfying crack sound. He yawned as he got to work on standing up and started stretching his body to wake himself from the fact that he had slept like a drunken man.

Not even the millions of war cries from an army could have woken him up!

He reached his arms up into the air until, much like his back, both of them cracked easily and felt the pressure from the night before melt away with those single arm movements. His ear twitched again at a strange sound and it sounded within close range.

The red furred raccoon was curious about this. What on earth was that chirping of a noise? Even though the answer was obvious, he couldn't bring himself to believe it as he glanced over his shoulder up towards a tree branch behind him and found a small nest containing three little birds. Two of the chicks were quite large considering that their mother was nowhere to be seen but they were pushing the runt of the three out of the nest!

A gasp left Rioichi's throat as the two other birds edged the little one closer and closer to the edge of the bedding of twine, feathers and twig and the tiny little bird accidently fell out of the nest whilst letting out desperate chirps of fright.

Instincts driving him alone, Rioichi dived forwards and dropped to his stomach with his hands held out to catch the tiny bird. The chick desperately flapped its wings but it didn't seem strong enough to fly on its own yet as it crashed into a branch and dropped into Rioichi's palms. The little bundle of bright cyan feathers chirped fearfully as it trembled within the raccoon's hands.

The young adult raccoon climbed to his feet and examined the little thing that rested perfectly in his palms as if the little bird existed to rest in them. The bird appeared to be a blue bird and it had very stubby wings that meant that it was probably little more than a few hours old but it also appeared that one of the stubby wings were broken as it laid limp and was curled in the wrong direction.

Rioichi took great pity on this tiny creature as he decided to help it but first he needed to get it to trust him. He held out a long slender finger towards the hatchling but it quickly shied away and tried to hide behind its rescuers thumb but ended up tripping over its twiddly little legs and feet.

"It is alright, little one..." The red panda raccoon gently whispered as he eyed the little thing with the softest gaze he could muster. He never cared for an animal before and he didn't know how to behave around things smaller than he but he knew that he needed to win this little ones trust if he was to help it. The bird slowly started to stop shivering as it stared at Rioichi with big, beady eyes filled with confusion.

Was this creature not a monster wanting to eat it for lunch?

The bird then felt a long slender thing in a shade of brown stroke its head tenderly and it couldn't help but feel its worried chirps die down and be replaced with affectionate caws. It seemed to have been bathing in the attention.

Rioichi was grinning from ear to ear as he continued stroking the little blue bird with a tender, loving finger. He never thought that he could get this little bird to trust him within minutes and this made him feel confident. Rioichi spared a glare at the two other chicks whom appeared to be laughing in tweets before he carried the chick in his palm back to where he was resting beforehand.

He gently put the bird down on the half cut log and allowed it to stand on its own as he sat at the log and raised a thoughtful hand to scratch his chin. He knew that this little one needed a splint to keep the bone in place but he didn't know how to make one. He had plenty of wood to work with but he didn't have any fabric...

His eyes fell upon the scarlet belt he wore around his waist as he thought about using it to mend the birds wing. He only wore it for fashion reasons and not really for anything else! Rioichi carefully untied the sash around his waist and removed it before wrapping it delicately around the hatchling's wing.

The ending reveal of the job was neat and clean as the fabric wrapped tightly around the little birds wing so it was tight enough to keep the bones in place but not tight as to cut off the circulation. Rioichi sighed longingly as he had been reminded of the first time he had met Harumi when he healed her injuries at the age of seven years of age.

Harumi had left 2 days after that event for more training with her father and Rioichi couldn't help but wonder how she was doing. Was she safe? Was her father treating her better? Would he ever see her again?

These thoughts crossed the young coon's mind as he stared up at the rich blue skies overhead with a certain longing shimmering within those rusty brown orbs. He missed her so much and was hoping more and more that they would cross paths again soon but hen he reminded himself that life isn't supposed to work like that.

Sighing whilst shaking his head dismissively, the twenty year old decided that now the bird was patched up that he should be good to continue the cane he had been working on since the early hours of this morning.

The shape had been drawn out in a rough sketch. It was a lot like the original design of the Cooper clan cane but it had this edge of wisdom and power to it that seemed very admirable to any Cooper! As the sunlights warm rays lightly touched the boarder of the guide housing the Cooper cane, the gentle pink Sakura petals blew like a stream of beauty in the wind as each delicate petal brushed around the hilltop Rioichi chose to work on.

His attentive ears perked at the mere sound of inquisitive chirping and those rusty brown orbs stilled upon the tiny bird who gave a look that spoke louder than actual words ever could 'What are you doing?'

Rioichi chuckled and answered even though he doubted that the fledgeling would be capable of understanding him "I am creating a cane to carry on my thieving ancestry my little friend, that is what I am doing."

The bird glanced down at the half done cane.

The hook had been finished as it was growing more like the supposed original design Rioichi had imagined with each shank of wood that had been carved away.

It had been a quiet morning as Rioichi had spent a majority of it trying to finish the cane. He had worked tirelessly even though he took a 3 minute break here and there to either rest his eyes for a moment, feed his hungry little patient or to feed himself. The morning blurred into the afternoon as the sun had risen gloriously higher into the pale blue magnificence of the skyline that would blind you if you looked at it for a minimum of three seconds!

The knife worked, carved and scrapped off bits of free wood strands that had amassed into a massive pile of wood scrapings beside Rioichi's feet but eventually the cane was done even though two parts of it were a bit flimsy. The young adult sat up and picked his friend off the table whilst being careful with his newly made wooden cane that shimmered like gold in the streams of sunlight that meandered down upon the beautiful hilltop.

He looked one last time at the pair of larger little birds whom seemed content at having the runt out of the nest. Rioichi knew that the mother probably wouldn't miss her chick as it was in the nature of birds to kick the runt out of the nest if it was weak and looking a lot less likely for survival.

As he began to walk off, however, his ears twitched and he had the very sudden instinct to look behind him as he thought he had heard the sound of something whooshing away even though his eyes landed upon a huge feather. His eyes widened in shock as his curiosity took hold of him and he wandered into the bamboo forests with both hands clasping upon the little injured bird in order to both warm it and to defend it from further harm and predators.

Rioichi's eyes narrowed in great suspicion as he cautiously approached the branch of where the feather was hanging off of. He thought of a way to examine that feather and smiled when a particular idea came to mind and he scrunched his knees down and closed his eyes tightly. He felt the wind blow against his back as if a way to support him as his tail calmly blew in the wind along with his ears and cheek fur.

The young adult coon opened his eyes as he finally sprung upwards in a huge jump and upon landing, he put one foot thinly in front while the one behind was also firmly planted on the limited walking space and both of them pointed towards the right.

Rioichi had perfected this move not too long ago even though he had never used it in a real situation before.

He still had the baby bird clammed in both his hands to shelter it and used his weight to steady his slow body movements and he thought of himself walking along a tightrope. This was kind of the same thing.

His breathing was inwardly nervous sounding and raspy as sweat dribbled down his head in big rivulets even though his head felt fairly cold, his eyes were wide as his pupils were dilated and his teeth grinded to try and suppress how nervous he was. He never done such an act before as he slowly approached the big feather and as he approached it he began to realise just how big this feather was...

Rioichi realised that whatever bird was just here then it was not only stalking him but it was massive. If the feather was the same length as the trunk of an elephant then he could only imagine how big the actual bird who owned it was! The thoughts of being in the talons of that thing made Rioichi shudder in disgust with a 'brrr'.

His ears lowered slightly as he bent down as much as he could in his knelt a little and grabbed the tip of his feather in his mouth and managed to eventually coil the tip of his bushy tail around it so he wouldn't have to hold it in his mouth. He carefully jumped off the bamboo branch and decided to finally return to Sashimi who was probably worried sick.

But Rioichi couldn't ignore the sinking feeling that someone was shadowing him and he had one last cautionary glance over his shoulder whilst he walked away. He dismissed it seconds later and looked back to the little bird he had rescued that rested in his palms and he walked off into the sunny horizon.

He should have looked closer.

A dark grin had spread across Clockwerk's monstrous beak as he hid against the shadows of the forest of bamboo, his piercing ruby eyes staring right at the young raccoon as if they were trained for the very purpose.

The owls eyes were much like those belonging to a wolf that were trailing to a potential prey...They kind of were, actually! A slow cackle escaped from Clockwerk's throat as he flapped his huge wings in preparation of flight through his torn old cloak.

He always insisted on wearing the cloak as if it made him look more sinister but it was unneeded.

A satisfying glance at this raccoon refuelled his eternal hunger for hatred and gave him a new strength as he knew that this Cooper was to be no different then the rest he had slaughtered. He slaughtered all the Cooper clan members starting all the way back to Slytunkhamen the first but he didn't destroy him or any of them before they had hidden their wives whom bore the children!

He may have not been the one to kill Isamu Cooper but that was why he had Tai on his team in the first place: to finish what he had started considering that he could pin the boy down whilst Clockwerk could deliver the final blow.

Revenge drowned each and every thought running through the bird of prey's mind as Clockwerk vanished into thin air yet again...but next time he was going to be with back up.

It was almost time...

* * *

**A/N: Ooh dear. Clockwerk is going to murder Rioichi, isn't he? Well you all know the answer if you had seen my previous one shots and if you have looked at the Sly Cooper games.**

**I might change it...who knows? I hope that this chapter was satisfactory and that you like and review it. I really should give a name to the Cooper ancestor origin stories shouldn't I? **

**TOLD YOU I'D PULL OF A HUNCHBACK OF NOTREDAME! I could see Rioichi doing that too...**

**I did a poll as well and be sure to check that out! **

**Thanks!**

**-Chloemcg**


	9. A new master

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rioichi Cooper but I own the other characters as well as the plot.**

**Tales of Rioichi.**

* * *

Rioichi found Sashimi hiding out in the cave and the shark was relieved beyond belief as he lectured the young adult coon about worrying him to death. He was seriously filled with glee at the fact that Rioichi had made a cane for himself and was now accepting of his title and legacy.

Of course, Rioichi didn't tell his friend about the flashback that had changed his mind but he instead told the shark that he just changed his course of path. Ever since then, training had been really tough but it was also about battle strategies and how to flawlessly dodge an enemy attack if a guard spots him whilst on a heist.

Their bond as friends was unparalleled as they trained each day either in the sanctity of the caves or even out in the open so they could both get stronger together. Sashimi also taught Rioichi how to pull off some of his ancestors sneaky thief moves such as the wall hook climbing technique that was perfected by Sir Galleth Cooper.

The duo had also been doubling their training with each other and nursing their little bird friend back to health.

Days slipped into months until Rioichi had one day been summoned back into the caves where the two had been hiding out in all this time as he knelt before the shark with his head low in respect, the bird he had rescued perched upon his shoulder.

As the mother bird had rejected the little one at first sight whence the little fledgeling was well enough to fly and thrive, Rioichi decided to keep the little blue bird as a pet and he named it Kiki. Kiki was a sweet little addition to Rioichi's heart and little needed to be mentioned about her flying abilities as she was perfectly capable of flying.

Life had been sweet and friendships had been steadily growing for the last few months and nobody could even deny that there was a certain darkness on the edge of each day as if something bad could go horribly wrong at any moment.

The yellow fireflies fluttered through the caves darkness provided some lighting to the announcement and it made everything a little more peaceful and tranquil.

Sashimi cleared his throat steadily as he placed a calm fin upon his students shoulder, trying his best not to sound too disappointed by what he was about to tell the young adult coon "My friend, I have taught you what I can but even my knowledge knows bounds."

Rioichi could only nod in agreement. It was true that he had learned everything he needed to about his ancestors leading up to him but he knew that basically all things had limits even though there was the exceedingly rare thing that was limitless. Knowledge was one of those things that always had a limit.

The red panda raccoons tail curled around his legs in a mediative way as he stared at the shark wordlessly with big eyes that watched the shark as if he was expecting something.

Sashimi continued what he was saying "Anyways, I have sent a message to an old friend of mine," A smirk appeared on the sharks face as he pulled a scroll out from behind his back and held it out to Rioichi "I think you recognise his name."

Rioichi wasted no time in peeling open the scroll by its sides and turning it to the right so it could be straighter, his eyes carefully scanning each Japanese word of calligraphy. After a moment or two Rioichi's eyes lit up in recognition as his jaw went slack and would have dropped down to the floor if it was able to reach that far.

"You are friends with the great master Moto!?" The tone behind the young adult coons voice was filled with awe as he looked constantly from the scroll to the shark that stood before him and even Kiki seemed to have been startled by her masters outburst as she momentarily took to the air startled before falling to the ground although being rendered completely unharmed.

Master Moto was a master swordsman who had the biggest appetite in all of Japan but not only that, he had the strength of a full grown rhino to add to that. He travelled all over the boarders of Japan to teach those worthy of his skills. The hippo was admirable for his fighting techniques and his unparalleled heroism but he had to wonder what this had to do with the legendary master Moto?

His face twisted in perplexity of the mere situation. Rioichi put the scroll down and stared up at the 30 year old shark with furrowed brows as his face etched in bewilderment. He tilted his head to one side as he frowned as his mind became webbed in endless thoughts like a crochet gone wrong.

Luckily Sashimi seemed to have caught the hint and he explained with his toothy smile spreading even further across his lips "I have arranged for us to go to Shiomi mountains and we shall meet Master Moto there."

Rioichi's heart skipped a beat as his eyes widened to the point of nearly being able to fall out of their sockets and his ears folded as well as his breathing became instantly erratic at the mere mention of that forbidden place. He was sure that if he drank water than he would have instantly spat it out!

He hadn't forgotten what had happened to his adoptive father at those dangerous mountains and he was sure that it would always haunt him as the young adult coon rubbed nervously at the suddenly sweaty palms of his russet palms. His voice suddenly carried a hint of quivering fear as the young adult coons memory of Zuko's death stuck to his mind like bees to a hive.

He knew that the memory of the pandas death will always haunt him until his dying day as his fur stuck up from the mere fright he felt towards that place "A-Are you sure we have to meet him at Shiomi mountains in particular?" He asked whilst forcing a fanged grin to his lips even if the twitching of multiple fingers, his tail, and eyelid gave away that he was finding it hard not to panic.

Sashimi gave a suspicious frown towards his student/friend. He noticed the buckets of sweat in the form of clear rivulets dripping from the ring-tails brow and even through the darkness of the caves they stayed in, Rioichi's falsely worn expression didn't go unnoticed by the shark.

'_What is the matter with him?' _Sashimi thought as he abandoned the smile he wore and he decided to go for a more compassionate approach as he nodded to the young raccoon "Indeed. Master Moto finds the most dangerous mountains to be a test of character, but if we are to have his assistance then you must prove yourself worthy."

Rioichi only looked further confused but decided not to argue. He hated those mountains very much but he wanted to make his ancestors and mother proud of him so he knew that this had to be done, besides he had made those wolves fall to their deaths hadn't he?

Reluctantly the Japanese raccoon gave a very small nod but his shaky tone of voice had never left as he was oblivious to the fact that he was shaking where he sat as if ice had covered his fur or something. Rioichi picked up Kiki into his palms and stood up to begin packing his things but as his back was turned to the male shark, he was unaware that Sashimi was looking at him with a small look of sadness.

Sashimi didn't know why Rioichi had a vendetta against the Shiomi mountains but he knew that whatever reason it was, it was pretty awful and plunged his once peaceful world into a terrible abyss of darkness and nostalgia.

He couldn't help but feel empathetic towards his friend as he too had suffered a tragic past.

The former solider shook his head to try and remind himself of what he was doing. He narrowed his eyes and looked to the floor as he felt denial burn into the pit of his stomach and he couldn't help but growl a little as he turned to go pack his things much like Rioichi had left to do.

Master Moto needed to be located and Rioichi needed to be trained in fighting techniques since he had a creeping feeling that an old foe was going to strike back but more powerful than ever.

That constant daily threat of Clockwerk chewed at the sharks mind as he too had a tragedy he would love to forget.

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**A/N: Sorry about the painfully short chapter. I just thought that this would do for now and it would be enough to keep you guys interested for now. I would like you to guess who Master Moto is related to and where I got the idea to add him in the story from...I'll give you a hint: Treasure. Look at Sly Cooper Thieves in time and get most of the treasure and see if you can piece it together. **

**Anyways, I shall make another chapter about Clockwerk next. **

**Please review and stay tuned! **

**-Chloemcg**


	10. Hatred of the enemy

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rioichi Cooper but I own the other characters as well as the plot.**

**Tales of Rioichi.**

* * *

Clockwerk spread his huge wings out to the sides as he swooped in through the caverns and landed on a large stone that acted somewhat as a podium all while he observed what was unfolding down below in the catacombs he had been forced to squat in for over a decade now.

The owls body was very tight from having to stay in these cramped conditions and he was now having to cover the back of his neck in scraps of metal left over from old war cannons due to the fact that his neck joins were failing him just like his legs were when old enemies had demaged both his talons and had forced him to take drastic measures.

He peered down over the edge of the stone he had perched upon to watch what was happening below as a sharp grin had spread on his razor sharp beak.

As promised, Tai had brought the Ninja Triad together and even gathered a few more members but then the older adult red panda coon had the idea of creating a syndicate of all the blood thirsty war mongers and generals in all of Japan so they could rise up and seize their oppertunity to shine like the stars against a blood red sky filled with war and anarchy.

This was an admittedly clever plot that made Clockwerk think of all the possibilities that could come from this. If he had failed to take down Rioichi then he would ask for the Ninja Triad to track down the offspring of that raccoon and he'd go and kill it himself. An evil grin plastered itself upon his beak as his evil ruby eyes glared down at the sight of his accomplice pacing back and forth with a devious glint within his piercing rusty brown orbs.

Tai had managed to get most of his strength back after years of being unable to move at all and most of his body being easily susceptible to locking in place. He had a much stronger built chest then before and he even appeared more healthy then before as he whipped his ringed tail threateningly in the air behind him as he walked by several black dressed warriors.

Each of these flexible, strong warriors had been hand picked by Clockwerk himself and some of them were even members of the original Ninja Triad. Some of them were even the offspring of the members Tai worked with and as the male raccoon wandered passed them all with an intimidating raise of the brow, each and everyone of the ninjas and warriors gathered could barely look their superior in the eye as not even the armour they had adorned or the black facial coverings that was worn by some could mask their increase of fright.

The older adult raccoon held a Bo staff as he thumped one thin end of it to the stone flooring beneath them with each step he took. Tai's ear brushed at the sounds of dripping from the ceiling a little ways behind and he took in the heavy moisture-laden scent.

He could feel the caves flooring beneath his bandaged feet and ankles splash a little under each footstep he felt and his copper fur blew in the very slight breeze that had entered through the mouth of these mountainous caverns. His hearing used to be so great that he could sense a foe coming from a few miles away but due to both his coming of older age and having nothing to listen to except for snickering and laughing, that had been thrown into the wind so now his hearing was just ordinary.

Tai abruptly stopped his pacing dead in his tracks as he heard the sound of pathetic whimpering coming from a little ways in front of him. His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he decided to follow the sounds and he looked at a pair of rookie warriors who looked nervous but they weren't the source of those highly pathetic whines.

Tai jammed his Bo stick forwards in between the warrior and Ninja who stood before him and used the stick to pry them apart and saw the obvious man he sought out. It was a small adolescent woodchuck whom wore samurai armoury that barely fit around his chubby body.

The older adult raccoon with long locks of 'hair' glared down coldly at the cowering rodent with no emotion in his eyes. He could hear the constant whinging vibrating against the air and this annoyed the Ninja syndicate leader beyond comprehension.

The darkness of the grottos provided a highly intimidating backdrop and the 'drip drop' sounds the droplets of water made each time a dew had let go of its latch upon the icicle-shaped rocks hanging suspended on the ceilings had created an almost terrifying atmosphere to the sudden grim mood this place had took on from the sudden heartless drop these catacoms had shouldered all at once.

The raccoon lurched a russet hand forwards and grabbed hold of the scruff of fur dangling upon the armoured woodchucks neck and within seconds, the young adult rodent was hanging whilst choking on the tight grasp the leader of this pack had on his neck. Tai felt a growl vibrate against his throat before he demanded, his voice tittering over the edge of being a menacing snarl "Who might _you_ be?"

The small fur ball shook and cowered in the copper furred rogue's tight grip. His huge eyes were filled with fearful tears that threatened to pour from those giant orbs and leave damp streaks in their wake and the Woodchuck tried to curl into the smallest ball possible despite being in the impossibly strong grasp of a psychopath. His teeth chattered against the soundless quiet of the caverns as his small circular ears flattened.

All of the army watched with each and everyone of their breaths hitched in their throats and even the battle lords watched in outright horror as the raccoon continued to strangle the fur ball with cold, heartless eyes that would burn right into the enemies soul and tear you like paper on the inside.

The solider woodchuck gulped and continued to whimper as he trembled like the tail of a rattlesnake "...I-I-I...I-" he breathed in through his nostrils deeply, trying to fight the ever growing urge to be sick as he tried to calm his nerves "...I want to become a member of this army. I can do anything you request, s-sir!"

Tai just kept his stone gaze on the marmot but did not release him.

Everyone drew in a big breath as they felt suspense sliver like a serpent into each of their minds as many possibilities of what was to transpire next had crossed their minds. What was going to happen? How on earth did that twerp end up in the line up of fine warriors chosen by the master of metal and flesh himself? What was Tai going to do with him?

The woodchuck was further intimidated whence Tai shoved his muzzle right against the rodents muzzle and he glared piercing daggers "That does not answer my question, Kodomo, what are you doing here?"

Flinching, the young teenaged marmot reluctantly looked into the coons eyes. He could see no kindness within those murderous orbs that seemed to have little to no love whatsoever. His little heart thumped ferociously in his chest cavity as he could feel himself breaking into the coldest of sweats imaginable and his fur became really ruffled and out of place to show just how panicky he was becoming. He jerked around hastily to break free from Tai's firm grasp on his neck but he stopped whence the tight fist squeezing his neck fastened.

The rodent gave a choked gasp when a horrid shudder ran down his spine. He was beginning to regret his decision coming here as Tai slowly began to choke him even further, constricting his trachea so he could barely swallow.

"ANSWER ME!" The older raccoon with copper fur roared viciously as he heaved in deep breaths, his shoulders rose up and down. He felt a certain rush of adrenaline course through his veins like bubbles in a fizzy drink that had been shaken for 10 minutes and was foaming out of control through the bottle cap.

"I-I! Please don't hurt me, g-g-general!" The Woodchuck pleaded fearfully.

When the wanted criminal still didn't get an answer, his patience had run out. The male raccoon instantly used his Bo staff to fling the fearful Woodchuck into the air and all of a sudden, he was snatched up by Clockwerk and the remaining warriors could only watch mortified as they experienced the half mechanical owl tear through his small prey.

Shadows reflected upon the walls as Clockwerk ate the young Woodchuck from a very high ledge and he clearly ignored the pain filled, agonising screams of terror that filled the air. Everyone gasped in horror as they either turned white from pure horror or buried their faces in their hands to avoid seeing the grim sight that would probably befall them if any weaklings wanted to join them or hid amongst them.

Tai turned his back on the grim happenings going on behind him and focused on the large pack of Ninja and fierce warriors as he twirled his Bo staff quick with flexible fingers "I have been training up for years so I could get my revenge on my former wife: Isamu Cooper," he glared sternly at his soldiers "I shall not tolerate weaklings nor whining!" He glared slits at them "Do I make myself clear?"

With fearful expressions, they all nodded simultaneously. Tai knew that they all nodded only because of how afraid they suddenly were but he didn't even care. If he was to take his son's life along with Majin Clockwerk then he needed a top notch army to help this plan along like a crutch on either arm of someone with both legs broken.

The red panda raccoon older adult grinned maliciously "Good," he unsheathed his Bo staff and tucked it behind his back "We shall leave immediately." But Tai's attention was drawn to Clockwerk whose cold voice rang out like a finely polished church bell from his perch above.

"This is not entirely true, Tai-San."

Clockwerk spread his wings and swooped down to greet the army of rodents, mammals, much smaller birds then himself and even flying mammals. Upon landing he was met by respective bows coming from all whom stood before his almighty stature even if he had noticed the shaking coming from most of the warriors whom have been gathered. He smiled viciously at their fright.

The giant owl stomped his metal talons to the ground to empathise his point but he stared at them with an evil smirk pulled at the corners of his razor sharp beak "I have been spying on the enemy but found that not only does he know little about his heritage but he also has no idea what has happened to his dear mother. He is oblivious to all of this and that therefore should give us a much bigger advantage point."

Tai looked confused "Yes but what does this have to do with us not killing the brat instantly?"

Clockwerk shook his wings and pelt a little to, again, empathise his point. He knew that he was the only smart one here and there was nobody else who could match his superior intellect. But now he felt like he really was the smartest being in history! Rubbing at his temples irritably, Clockwerk explained "My goal is to kill Rioichi in front of all the world and I need him to be at a appropriate location for my plan to succeed fully."

Tai furrowed his brows further in confusion "Why do you need to murder the child in front of everyone?"

"Simple fool," Clockwerk reached a talon forwards and used a single claw to snake under the older coons furry chin "I need to prove to all that the Coopers are nothing without their precious book..."

Tai smiled at this. His wife had carried that blasted book everywhere she went and wrote in it all the time! He didn't know what was so special about that stupid piece of literature but it must have been at least centuries of years old judging by the archaic golden piece that had been welded on to the corners of the cover and the back.

So the copper furred adult raccoon gave a leering grin as his tail swished excitedly behind him through the dank, rotten darkness of the small caverns they stayed in all this while. He couldn't wait to see what his son looked like but not for the reasons you may think, he hoped that he would see a lot of the boy's mother in him so he could feel exactly like he did whence Isamu had been slain by his own hands: a trickle of revenge-filled joy.

Giving a single nod, Tai asked "So what shall we do, master?"

Clockwerk's dark grin mirrored his accomplices own. He knew _exactly _how to put an end to the son of Isamu and he had just the thing to make him suffer.

His cold, emotionless voice contained a hint of thoughtfulness as his lifeless red orbs stared directly at Tai. He was more then certain what needed to be done and he couldn't deny the smile this mere thought had given him throughout his entire body that buzzed in excitement!

"We break him from the inside out."

* * *

**A/N: Cliffhanger! Ooh dear. Rioichi doesn't need to be broken even further then he already has been. He already lost his adoptive father and he lost his mother whom he barely knew, what else does he have to lose? **

**Stay tuned and find out. **

**At least this chapter is longer than last nights one, though, I'm proud of this one. Next we get back to Rioichi and hopefully we'll run into a past face! BTW, which character is your favourite so far? Who do you think is the best character I have done so far?**

**I thought that I should basically censor Clockwerk killing that Woodchuck since I want this story to be for EVERYONE! **

**I am also aware that most of this I have gotten from Rioichi's level in Thieves in time. I may have over analysed things with the chapter but I am darn proud of all this! I hope that I get good reviews, guys! **

**Thanks! **

**-Chloemcg**


	11. Crossing the bamboo forests

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rioichi Cooper but I own the other characters as well as the plot.**

**Tales of Rioichi.**

* * *

Rioichi bounded through the thickly grown sticks of the bamboo forest that was so dense that he had to climb to the tops and bound on each tip of a stick so he could spring across the field. He lugged a travelling backpack over his shoulder that was held in place by a leather strap and he could hear Sashimi bouncing against the bamboo sticks a little ways behind him.

The duo were on their way to meet Master Moto, a swords expert, who had made his home on a dangerous mountain beside Rioichi's home village. They had only been travelling since the early hours of this morning and they had managed to make an approximate of arriving upon the time whence everyone should be asleep.

As Rioichi used to live in the village before running away, he knew basically a lot about it and also knew a few specific details. He could count the seconds of each nightly event that took place and he could even picture exactly would would happen during those events so if he felt the least bit homesick, he wouldn't feel left out on anything.

...He did miss being home, though, all things considered.

He missed being able to admire the glorious fireworks exploding colourful amazingness from his bedroom window, he missed being able to assist in making the dishes for those poor homeless village folk whom didn't have a penny to their name and seeing the smiles on their faces at the kindness being shown to them, he missed smelling the sweet nectar in the air after a Summers sunset greets them...but he missed Zuko most of all.

His adopted father was the most favourite person in all the village as he was basically everyone's best friend and the most trusted for being there for those who desperately needed a friend.

Rioichi lowered his head as he closed his eyes in memory of seeing his Otosan's dying face with that serene smile so weak and fragile, melting the red panda raccoons heart even further.

He shook his head to snap out of it. He shouldn't dwell on the past of what he could have done! Zuko wouldn't have wanted that...

He could feel the swiftness of how fast he was moving catch up to him even though he had a small amount of dread still nag at the back of his mind. It wouldn't feel right to go back after months of absence and suddenly show up out of the blue! But, if he needed to get the training with Master Moto, then he knew that it was a risk worth taking.

Rioichi could have sworn that he could do this with his eyes closed.

It was so easy to leap across this forest of bamboo sticks and he tried to put a smile on his muzzle and look on the brighter side of things.

He could see his uncle and cousin again, for one, he could even cook for some more homeless people with the village chief! He could picture himself doing many types of good deeds like he loved to do other than study, pull reckless stunts to test himself and read the Thevius Raccoonus.

As he easily soared through the skies to land on another bamboo stick, he couldn't help but notice that Sashimi was struggling to keep up as the shark constantly tripped over the bamboo sticks, despite not having legs, and smashed into the tops with his face as many of those pointy tips jabbed him in the eyes, nose and even his razor sharp teeth on some occasions.

Rioichi couldn't help but smile a little bit in amusement of watching his friend trip over numerous times like a clumsy oaf. It filled him with slight joy at seeing something butter him up like this and the young adult raccoon could feel his strong legs spring against the tip of each thick stick of bamboo even though he managed to suppress his weight mostly by breathing in and keeping his low metabolism in check.

Grinning, Rioichi raced forwards with surreal speed with a mischievous glint within his youthful rusty brown eyes. The forests were untouched by the gorgeous sunlight that loomed in the cloudless skies overhead and, just upon the horizon, it appeared that there would be nothing but more forest up ahead and nobody could mind that as the experience of meshing with the mode of transportation was kind of fun and somewhat enjoyable!

Sashimi just stared in bewilderment after the red and navy blue streak the young adult raccoon left behind like a blazing trail of fire from how flawlessly he ran off, surprised at how fast the young daredevil could run. There was no denying that this role was more than suitable for him and fit him like a glove!

The shark couldn't help but wear a smile that mirrored his young students one as an equally challenging playfulness shined within the older shark's eye and he decided to try and catch up with him.

He could tell from the first moment he saw the raccoon that he had a rebellious, devilish yet calm minded spirit that was not so easily broken. This never shined more brightly before now as the shark could have sworn that a light he had never seen before had returned to the young adult, giving back something that had been long forgotten.

He needed to make that light shine brighter then a star!

Sashimi decided to do and belly flop on these thickly grown together reeds to catch up with the quick-footed mammal but this backfired epically as it only rebounded his attempt and made him soar upwards until he was caught in a momentum of raising, defying gravity for a split second, before he began to plummet back down to earth.

As he was soaring up into the sky, Sashimi noticed that the clouds were looking unusually pretty like sheeps wool as they swirled lazily against the bright blue sky and it would have made the perfect scene to do some meditation if he wasn't about to fall to his death!

The retired soldier tried desperately to flap his fins as if by miracle he would just somehow be able to fly. This failed as he knew that by the rate he was falling, he would most likely smack face first into the painful tips of those long sticks poking out from the ground below within seconds. His terrified screams and yells filled the air as he prayed that a miracle would happen!

The air cut itself short from the sharks lungs as he prepeared a mental last will of testament within his mind, his eyes screwed shut as he knew for sure that this was the end!

He braced himself for the many jabs in the face he was about to receive...but soon found that he didn't feel anything.

Sashimi felt confusion take his wise mind and twist it into an uncertain cloud of obscurity.

He felt himself swinging back and forth like a pendulum as his body felt like it was being weight down as if he was hanging on to something which couldn't be possible. The darkness of his entire world was due to the shark screwing his eyes shut as if fear had taken an icy hold on his being (which it had since he was moments from being stabbed painfully in the face) but he couldn't deny the very familiar warmth he felt envelope his fin.

It felt too familiar to ignore as Sashimi reopened his eyes and looked up to see something that made his heart do backflips.

Rioichi had come back for him and had taken his fin to prevent his fall, a warm smile worn on his lips as his eyes were filled with compassion. The sun beamed harshly down upon the young russet furred ring-tail so much that it silhouetted his form a little to the shark's eyes but the smile was still visible.

Kiki hovered over the both of them as well, her small wings flapping tirelessly against the air as a small apparent smile crossed her beak. The female blue bird had to travel with the two to ensure that she wouldn't get peckish or anything vital as she wouldn't have anyone to care for her nor would she be able to care for herself.

All the fear the older shark felt previously melted away instantly upon seeing Rioichi tightly grabbing his hand and Sashimi noticed a few other things.

He also appeared to have been hanging upon the edge of another lane of bamboo sticks and was about to fall into a bedding of tall, lush grass. He didn't know if it were biologically possible but Sashimi could have sworn that he was sweating buckets from how close of a shave he just had!

Pulling his friend back up on the bamboo forest reeds, Rioichi smiled upon seeing Sashimi unharmed. He was glad to know that the shark hadn't suffered any serious injuries and that he had got to him in time, a fact that he was very thankful for, but little did they know that something was about to turn for them.

The little bird, the shark and the raccoon were just continuing their running spree to the village but were stopped upon hearing a shrill scream pierce the air like a knife plunging through the air viciously, the screaming being so loud that it echoed for miles moments after it seemingly stopped.

What on earth was that!? It sounded like a cry for help coming from somewhere, but where? Nobody even saw it coming.

The three were so startled upon hearing these loud cries of terror, they actually felt themselves smack into each other by the fact that they were still bounding effortlessly against the precious yet thick materialled plant life and they lost balance as they actually began to fill their legs buckle beneath their weight.

Rioichi wobbled against the wooden grass sticks as his balance became harder and harder to regain and this sudden halt inadvertently caused a domino effect and they fell off the path made of a lengthy row of poles, toppling over to one side clumsily before they tumbled off down to the thickly grown jungle of rough plant life below.

"WOOOAH!" They all yelled in unison as they plummeted from the high altitude to the forests below and before they knew it, they were deeply unconscious.

Rioichi felt a low groan escape his throat as he felt his back forced down by something heavy as he was forced into laying on his stomach as his hands were sprawled out in front of him. The young adult Japanese raccoon blearily opened his eyes as his skull had pretty much felt like it had been cracked open viciously. He became a little more aware of his surroundings as he looked around.

He could feel the tall grass beneath the palms of his paws as he blinked a few times to recover his vision. He couldn't recall much of what had happened but he could remember that faint screaming that filled the air before.

He tried to lift his body but he felt as flat as a pancake! He pushed and he shoved to try and get up but his efforts where in vain as it always ended up in the same result: his body dropping to the tall grass cushioning his chest and stomach.

The raccoon looked deeper at his surroundings consisting in every type of green imaginable but found out why he couldn't get up while he was at it. Sashimi was laying on top of him whilst Kiki was perched on the sharks belly, obviously awake and very alert.

Giving a sharp blow out one side of his mouth friskily, Rioichi tried to gain the little blue birds attention as his eyes were glued up to the heavens in an attempt to try looking at her as he twisted his slender body underneath his friend's heavy weight.

He felt like a cushion that was purposed for one as heavy as a building to lay upon like a bean cushion. His ears perked at the sound of a questioning chirp that came from the young bird whom flapped her small wings eagerly upon looking down at the russet furred raccoon, her small eyes looking inquisitively at him as she leaned forwards to look at her supposed master.

"Kiki," he whispered whilst he continued squirming "Go and awake Sashimi-San if you will."

The bird seemed to have understood the given request as she took to the air, hovering a little over the unconscious shark's head, as she fluttered towards him. The little cyan feathered bird chirped as she pecked at Sashimi's rubbery skin, hoping to nip a little at the very pale blue skin that adorned the carnivorous fishes body. Kiki gave some very loud chirps and tweets in hopes to awake Sashimi and fulfil her masters wishes and very soon, her persistence paid off.

Opening his sore eyes weakly, Sashimi grumbled as he rolled tiredly over to one side, accidently crushing his apprentice under his heavy weight and causing Rioichi to yowl out grunts of urgency that pleaded him (Sashimi) to remove himself from him (Rioichi). The male raccoon let out desperate cries of pain even though they sounded very muffled to anyone's hearing so poor Rioichi couldn't really be heard.

The shark was barely aware of the crucial fact that he was crushing his friend but he became vaguely aware of it whence he heard those muffled grumbles coming from underneath him as Sashimi slowly sat up. He looked around for Rioichi but couldn't see him as if to confirm that his friend was right under him.

Sashimi quickly jumped off of the ground he formally laid upon and found that Rioichi was letting out pained gasps as his eyes were clearly very close to bulging out of his eye sockets as his tongue rolled out of his mouth like the red carpet and his pointy raccoon ears flattened lifelessly against his head, exposing his now messy topknot hair style.

Feeling seriously guilty about squashing his friend, Sashimi picked up Rioichi as he tucked him under his fin and ran to where the screams were originally directed from. In that time all the red panda raccoon could think about was the miracle that he was alive as Sashimi was heavier than a crane carrying 5 crates carrying 7 hippos each and a ton of bricks.

The raccoon just shivered in trauma as his eyes were wide as they stared off into space with his expression otherwise blank to Kiki and Sashimi. His tail whipping against the air subconsciously, Rioichi could just feel the world rush by as he slowly but surely came out of his trauma but by that time they had already arrived at a small village that was a neighbouring one to Rioichi's.

It took 2 minutes to run at top speed but Sashimi and Rioichi just peered through the scene unfolding through some free bamboo sticks, looking kind of curious as to what was happening. They couldn't see much but the sunlight shone golden streaks down upon the imperial town plaza as little flag banners decorated each and every home surrounding the circular area from which was being observed.

Rioichi and Sashimi found the source of the screams as their eyes laid on a young bunny woman who cowered in a corner as she watched the battle scene in front of her, clutching her purse in a pair of cream coloured paws as her ears dropped behind her fuzzy head. She appeared to have been severely shaken up as she was shaking as if she had taken on lots of caffeine.

But the main attraction was what was transpiring on the plaza itself.

A young adult raccoon -seemingly female- stood in a martial art pose as she stepped in a sideways stance with her arm held daringly out towards one side as some crooks circled her like a pack of hyenas cornering their prey. Shadows casted upon the female raccoon's face as her raven black hair shone like gold in the beautiful sunlight, her back being turned to Rioichi and Sashimi, as she seemed to have been glaring daggers at her foes. Her voice sounded remarkably threatening as she boomed out with no fear residing in her beautifully angelic yet daring voice.

"You want to pick a fight with a girl," She challenged "Well come and face a better opponent!"

Rioichi couldn't help but find that voice kind of familiar. He didn't know where he heard it but that voice made him have a strange recollection for some reason...

He narrowed his eyes in perplexity, his head tilting towards the right to show obvious confusion as his ears dropped a little to the same side as his mouth formed an open frowned mouth of confusion. Where had he heard that beautiful voice before? It bothered him so much that he mentally smacked himself to try and remember.

While this was happening, however, the girl had already threw herself into defensive battle techniques as she threw a punch to one of the gang of rhinos whom had swiftly dodged the attack before delivering a hard blow to the girl's face that done the deed of knocking her back a little but despite this she stayed on her feet and glared at the crooked rhino.

She didn't waste a second as she charged at him again and managed to extend a leg out and smack his jaw and this earned a grunt from the evil enemy. She smiled through a glare although she regretted her actions as she was quickly piled by the other rhino group. Rioichi allowed his neck to straighten as he felt an overwhelming urge to assist her which Sashimi responded to by holding a fin out towards him and stopping him before he could reveal himself to the party.

He shook his head silently to tell the raccoon otherwise.

Rioichi gave the shark a wide eyed glare as he looked back towards the despicable scene. Why wasn't he allowed to help? This girl was in trouble! All he could do was watch with his face etched in concern and his ears were flat against his head. What could he do, he thought, as his frown was big and his breathing was panicky.

It turned out that it was a good thing that Sashimi stopped Rioichi as the girl had managed to throw some punches despite being amassed by the rhinos and she knocked each and everyone of those villains off her. She appeared to have worn a confident grin on her pretty lips as she stared narrowed eyes at nobody in particular as if to say 'I knew I could do it' but she was unaware that a fatal outcome was most likely about to unfold upon her.

Rioichi gasped as he saw the blade the mysterious shaded figure held tightly in his grasp glisten in the bright sunlight, a pair of intimidating red eyes foreshadowing his attack. That girl was about to be killed!

Rioichi knew what he had to do. He felt this impulsive need to help the female raccoon take complete control of his every thought and manifest itself into the pure force that driven him to do everything! He felt like his entire world went in slow motion as he desperately broke out of Sashimi's grasp and ran as fast as his legs would allow to try and save her.

Of course everyone watching the scene was shocked at seeing an outsider erupt out of nowhere and run towards the female raccoon heroine with impeccable speed but they also gasped at feeling a strong force knock them aside like dominoes as the shaded figure also burst forth from nowhere and held the knife high to try and kill the female raccoon.

Upon stepping into the sunlight, the shadowed figure became a lot more identifiable as he was a rhino just like his comrades but he had one blind eye and his horn had been knocked off slightly at a young age. He appeared to have been the most scarred member of this little group but he also appeared to have the most experience. It appeared that this member of that dishonourable pack had a very burning hatred against this female coon.

But before the shiny knife could touch the female raccoon; a certain someone stood in between the rhino and her as he blocked his attack by his fist firmly catching the hand that held the knife within it. Rioichi glared deeply at this dirty attempt to murder one who was clearly protecting the innocent as he recalled the vow he made to Zuko.

Of course the young adult russet furred raccoon was trying very hard not to break his foes stubby fingers so he couldn't repeat the incident with Rohan years ago but this situation felt too familiar to him as he grabbed on to that one fist so hard that he was very close to breaking those fingers then and there. His palm was even shaking a little as the force of the rough fist clutching the knife was enough to create a small amount of friction in between both hands.

Glaring slits at the rhinoceros, Rioichi told the rhino through gritted fanged teeth "Never. Come. Back."

Fearfully, the rhino nodded as soon as he was released from the raccoons tight block, Rioichi swept one leg out to one side in a judo sweep and knocked the three-toed ungulate on his behind and within moments the rhino fled into the shadows.

Everyone stared in shock at the stranger, unable to react at all as none of them expected this. Rioichi dusted his hands together as he was satisfied with his controlled anger, feeling rather proud of himself for handling that well without having to use violence. He could have used his cane but he didn't have the guts to use that yet nor did he know how to. Smiling smugly, Rioichi turned around to face the female raccoon as he began asking.

"Are you alrig-" he started but stopped dead in his tracks as his train of thought abruptly halted. Rioichi couldn't have been seeing what he thought he was seeing!

There was no way this was really happening in all of Japan... Those teal eyes were just too familiar to ignore and that face was impossible to forget and that headband tied around her forehead to cover up her fringe and grey fur was just too much of a dead giveaway for who this was.

"...Harumi?"

* * *

**A/N: Yay! Harumi and Rioichi are reunited at last! **

**Sorry this chapter was a bit choppy but I tried my best to make this good. What will happen next?**

**I had some inspiration from Kung fu panda: Secrets of the masters! That was awesome and I think I did alright although I tried to make this as slow paced as possible even if I had trouble not rushing it for some reason. **

**Oh the many questions that arise with this chapter: ****Will Sashimi, Rioichi and the others make it to Master Moto and will Harumi join in for the adventure?**

**Stay tuned and find out! **

**Thanks. **

**-Chloemcg**


	12. Reunion

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rioichi Cooper but I own the other characters as well as the plot.**

**Tales of Rioichi.**

* * *

"...Rioichi?" Harumi gasped in surprise, her beautiful teal eyes shining in recognition upon seeing that face. She couldn't believe that the one who had saved her from bullying at 7 years of age had returned and had saved her yet again!

Rioichi just stood there with his eyes wide. He felt the words die within his throat as he couldn't speak a single word as his ears were pointed backwards yet the sheepish look in his eyes were clear to Sashimi and even Kiki. The young adult coon could barely move as he swallowed a huge lump and all could watch that lump mesh (like his words) into his throat as it travelled down the front of his neck.

The two raccoons shared a very awkward silence as they stared wide eyed at each other, unable to say anything as they had gathered up quite a crowd who had amassed around them in a circle of commotion.

None of them knew what was going on as many different questions raced through their minds:

Who was this stranger?

Why did he save the heroine?

Where did he come from?

They didn't know any of these as clearly they were familiar with each other. The way the two shared a nice moment of recognition had kind of made them interested as they stared at the couple who actually reminded them of a pair of turtle doves flapping their wings in the breeze. Harumi never shown this much emotion for a being before, let alone one whom had saved her in a way that would spoil her reputation!

Many of the inhabitants chatted amongst themselves in a way that suggested that they were clueless as to what was happening and why this coon was here so suddenly and they ignored the huge shark pushing passed them to get through to the front of the massive pack of villagers.

Sashimi had budged and weaved through the crowd to try and get to the bottom of this as he was not only interested to know who this girl who seemed familiar to Rioichi was but why wasn't the young Raccoon high tailing out of here? He eventually managed to push and shove his way into the front of the crowd and saw the two looking very reminiscent of the past.

The shark had pulled at the sleeves of his kimono, ignoring the gasps and faint screams of the crowd he stood in, and managed to rush beside the copper furred ring tail.

"Rioichi-San, who is this young lady?" Sashimi whispered into his perked ear although Rioichi seemed to have been paying attention to very little at the moment as he just stared at the beautiful young lady raccoon who gracefully stood right in front of him.

He could have sworn that a silly lovestruck grin had plastered itself upon his muzzle as his rusty brown eyes were filled with awe at how beautiful this female raccoon was to him. She was more beautiful and precious then a cherry blossom in his eyes as he tried hard not to faint then and there from how much lighter her presence made him feel. He tried to not look silly in front of all of these people as he felt his heart race.

What was happening to him, he never felt like this before!

Harumi had grown up a lot since they were just children and she wore very similar attire to what she wore back then; She still wore the neckless of Yin and yang that Rioichi had entrusted her with, she wore a shirt that had reached down to her waist with very long sleeves with the pattern of a kimono with a skirt to compliment it, and she had grown up to look radiant with a tomboyish flare all while she had a courageous look residing within those gorgeous teal irises.

Her bushy ringed tail darted behind her as it peaked out from underneath her skirt and swished in the air like a broom removing dust from the floors. She sheathed the Ninjaken sword that she wielded and her eyes softened attentively, her own heart fluttering in her chest.

A smile pulled at the female coons lips as she swished some of her loose raven hair off of her shoulder and she asked him randomly after a few awkward moments of silence "How have you been, my friend?"

Rioichi didn't say anything as he looked down a little, shyness taking over and consuming his entire body and especially his speech. He didn't know why but he felt like a child again as he was rendered basically speechless for the second time of his life and he felt kind of daunted by the shadow of himself underneath him that reflected on the cobblestone path.

A warmness engulfed his mind in infatuation as he couldn't ignore the fact that she was stunningly lovely right now, not that she wasn't severely beautiful when she was little, but she was so attractive that one look at her basically swept his words out of his throat and swept him inwardly off his feet.

All the young adult raccoon male could do was scratch at the back of his neck whilst his eyes remained downcast, his neck craned a little as he tried to avoid looking into those supremely sweet eyes of hers.

Harumi just smiled a little at the silence that the male raccoon had enveloped within the entire imperial village square. Clearly her friend hadn't lost much of his charm and he looked even cuter than before if that was even possible! She tried to fight the blush wanting to taint her muzzle and it worked considerably even if her redness was showing to a few individuals who had all watched this strange occasion transpiring.

"You still do not have much to say, do you?" She guessed to which Rioichi reluctantly looked into her eyes and he cleared the entangled words in his throat as he tapped a finger against his neck, clearly trying to spit out the obstruction of his own grammar.

"...I...Er..." He struggled with his words as they laid dormant within him and buried themselves deeper within his soul and this meant that they were unwilling to show themselves. Rioichi became frustrated and sort of flustered by this! Why couldn't he speak around her, especially now? He may have been a little bit shy but that didn't exactly mean that he wasn't socialable!

Rioichi swallowed again as he licked his dry lips but this time he managed to say something to her "...I have m-much improved since then, Harumi-chan, y-y-you know t-th-that."

Harumi simply giggled at him trying to get over the very noticeable blush he now sported. She couldn't help but find her childhood friend's stumbling hilarious as she then found her attention drew off her old friend and finally saw his shark friend whom surprised and shocked her at first, forcing a sharp gasp to escape her lungs as she took a quick step back.

What on earth was a Shark doing out of water and why was it stalking her friend?! She felt every instinct tell her to kill the creature before it harmed Rioichi or anyone else in the village and she reacted with a quick footed pace. Her eyes were wide as she glared hostily at the supposed predator and she even threw some throwing stars at him, her hand swiftly at work as she used her slender fingers to assist her in throwing these small but lethal weapons.

Sashimi yelped in surprised as he flawlessly yet narrowly avoided getting sliced by the many Shuriken that had been tossed his way but some of them were also caught by Rioichi whom had managed to smooth things over before things got too bad, the crowd still stiff as they tried to absorb all this information.

Nobody knew what to think of this as they all just observed in silence, unable to do anything else.

Sashimi rubbed at his throat where Rioichi originally tried to kill him making the same mistake the female coon had just did "Yo yūga, what is it with you Raccoons and trying to turn me into fish bait!?" he asked nonchalantly, trying to stifle a glare to the young adult female ring tail.

For some reason everyone tried to kill him on sight and honestly he was getting annoyed with this pathetic running gag! What on earth did sharks do wrong to deserve this kind of treatment and why did everyone except for Rioichi scream and run at the mere sight of him?

Rioichi looked from his shark mentor to his old friend and told them in a loud voice that was loud enough for everyone to hear yet it was still civil "Now, now," he chided "Sashimi-San is not a threat in fact he isn't even a carnivore!"

"This is true." Sashimi quipped, thus earning a blunt glare from Rioichi.

The Japanese Cooper continued "Anyways, as long as there is no blood around then he should be completely harmless."

Everyone knew that a shark had a predatory instinct that made them a magnet to blood and they knew that there weren't any type of blood injuries here nor was there any control over those instincts Sashimi plundered and tried to avoid. Clearly he was kind of nice and civil but they were going to keep on their toes just in case.

Rioichi stepped towards Harumi whom was still quite cautious towards Sashimi, trying to soften her glare as if to make peace to the older adult shark whom shared the same amount of bitterness towards her as if they had both found out that they were each other's worst frienemies. They didn't like each other but they weren't exactly on best of terms either.

Smiling kindly at Harumi and ignoring the tension between her and his shark friend, the copper furred red panda raccoon told her with a wise, soft voice "Now that is out of the way, I am aware that we have just arrived but we are a bit tired and need a bit of rest."

Harumi just thought about it for a moment. She knew her father disliked visitors but she just couldn't turn down a friend in need, it just wasn't honourable! Besides she needed to catch up on old times with her friend and would like to see if life had treated him kindly through all of these years. She also needed to have a friend right now as she had a dark secret and hoped that Rioichi could smooth things over with that subject.

So, with some hesitance, she nodded her head and gave a wave of the hand "I can see that, Rioichi-San, you do look much like a raisin that had been dried up far too long. I must ask you what you are doing in this small town anyway?"

Rioichi bowed his head sheepishly as he grinned a little "Um, yes...That is hard to explain."

Harumi just rolled her eyes. In the three days she had known Rioichi when they were little, he never was this strange and rather jumpy! She couldn't believe that Rioichi wasn't telling her what was going on so she folded her arms across her chest and furrowed her brows against her coffee coloured natural born mask.

"You are going to explain it, Rioichi-San?" She asked.

Rioichi nodded his head "Yes, of course, but later on when we are not as crowded."

Harumi looked around and took mental note of the ring of citizens surrounding the very small group. The russet furred coon was correct about them needing a little privacy and she couldn't ignore the feeling nipping at the back of her head that told her how urgent this was. If Rioichi had come to this city requesting her assistance then who was she to turn him down?

She nodded in agreement and gave the odd group of misfits a signal that said 'Come with me' as she led them away through the crowd who had finally took in this information. The heroine of the town was allowing a bunch of strangers, one of which she knew, to stay with her and her father.

Elias Coonus, Harumi's father, was actually a very strict Shadow warrior who valued victory at any price and wasn't very pleasant to his daughter either. He was especially cruel now even though Harumi wouldn't tell anyone about it and it worried everyone. The father raccoon never liked visitors yet somehow he became a legendary hero whom everyone had grown to love and accept yet he traveled a lot, never staying in one place too long.

He was also really protective of Harumi and got really offensive when he saw her with any boy.

Everyone in the village couldn't help but notice that the sun had already disappeared behind a few clouds, making the world a dull colour and this sent a strange feeling of dread into the pits of their stomachs. The weather was like a way to foresee the future and to them, if the sun wasn't shining, then it meant that something bad was about to transpire.

Somehow most of the villagers had the suspicion that the legendary Shadow warrior wouldn't be happy about the news of his daughter bringing home a bunch of strangers and would most likely snap the male raccoons neck like a twig.

Not to mention what would be in store for poor Harumi.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry about the chapter. I tired to make it as good as I can and hopefully the next chapter will be a lot longer! You will finally get to see Harumi's father in the next chapter and we shall have to see what the poor girl had to put up with for awhile.**

**I also have a little puzzler for you guys: Who do you think would voice younger Rioichi, Harumi, Sashimi, Tai, Clockwerk etc? **

**You can answer in your reviews! **

**What will happen between Rioichi and Harumi? Again, will she join the team? **

**Stay tuned and find out! **

**-Chloemcg**


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